


























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































I 




: • 





v _ * _ « v 

• ^ A* * 

7 p <? • 

^ •Wj/fS * &*^ "• 

o -7^4 * <• -?.t* <$• ^> ♦Tfpr** ^ 

*- ° 0 .** ,-‘U*. ^ / .‘^L**. ° 0 ** V 

. ;£h^» : ^ g « ^Sm* •’bv 4, : 

.' * 
’■ ^ u v, ••;•• -v °> *••-• a 0 V. 

av *^Vw'» ^ ^ . f • o- ^c* 0 ^ ,»**<■ 

* ** v \ Vw-v, 

-:V" /&v/^""‘/ 

■* \^> a * ’cssSWrrV' a" .* , v , 


»°v 







oV 

* W/M 4 ' *° "V. 

« ••- o. *<y ,*V% ^ v N * * - ^ 

l° ^\o & ^ *j 

°. •^ilf| L : • 

° c^ vP !, 

* <X* <❖> •> M/'-Cck • 

v • \< 2 > * <L V ^j. « t 

“ « <v^ r%% * 


♦ • o 



O' 

^ *^T*’ A <.'••»* J>- ~o. ^rr.' A 

♦ O # 4 * ' * 4 ^ o 0 " * -» 

° V* '>w%, T V c •IsSSW. o , 

’ * *° ... V '»'» 0 y °*. *••’• A° V 

> »d®ST* ^ *♦ 4 tt ^ A J .*— 

S - v^v . ^SSA^//A o 


b 0- ^. 







* ^ A v ♦ 

v^V • 

-.' ^ ^ . 

v, •«••** J? ts ’^y^r a,- ✓ **?.?♦ 4 ,0^ 

• •* « c <’^ti-^- ° •W^.* •’V C° . 

0 - • o V . ^ <y °c 

* . A • 





*° ^ ^ $ **+ 

•• y ®* • f° 

V »'•% cv .0 

/ .*M^ , '» .'£K£* ^ ^ • 

v -.W* aJ-v . 4 . 

+7Q!w§^r \ ^ ° 


• L^l/» * * • o„ 



. ^ *••■•• P <A '®.‘ # 




1 # V • 0 4 o • A, 

.n™ _ • • • . ^ .\ v 








'♦ > V" * * * «• c* 

* «, *■ „ • *r. a 7 > % 

1 <v * ff(\ sy A.° * 1 

' <*v : §MM! ?l°. "Vv. • 

( * 0 <^'.^,* 


A 

1 *L^L% 


: v\ v 

.»*" 0 ^ "V ^TV?*' A <* . <4 ^ ^ 

/ .^ 4 V*. °o ^ .-^L*. *•#> / .•J,^*, 

^ .’«»'• -„f 'm&'. ’ r + Jk * 





V °. 



• ** ^ .: 



L° 


*••# a 0 ^ %iZgLr* 

L** <L* * 

: ^ v 

o » V** I vf* ., « . V** 

♦ a v v\ ® t t//«»\v 1 * a? 'Ca. * ^/^arrx « A v *>**. 


o \P. ^ 


'vpv 



• T**, A» ♦ 

L° ^ 1 

”, ^V 

• * <£ ^ . ^SM^rz * A V 'A, „ u 

0 ^ V ♦?^T* /% * **.» 

rtv o * • , **o , * * • , <£» 

0 •jjJSVv.V. ° ,<r > Str/ft ??** C • 




% - 0 f ‘ 

,> . 

o. * *TTi • ‘ iO 5 ^<S> "* .o,^ 






















THE 


PILGRIMAGE OE FA HI AN. 





THE 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA IIIAN 

FROM THE 

FRENCH EDITION 


FOE 

OF THE 

KOUE KI 


OF 


MM. REMUSAT, KLAPROTH, AND LANDRESSE. 

WITH 

ADDITIONAL NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 

« 

CALCUTTA : 


PRINTED BY J. THOMAS, BAPTIST MISSION PRESS. 


















r 









T 





• * « 

< ' 















ADVERTISEMENT. 


The original purpose of the Editor on undertaking the present 
ersion of the Foe Koue Ki, was to furnish the text of the 
Chinese Author with only so much of the commentary as was 
indispensible for its easy comprehension. But on reconsidering 
the subject, and reflecting how greatly the value of the work 
would be impaired by the contemplated omissions, he determined 
to publish the notes of the learned French Editors not only entire, 
hut with such additions and corrections as the critical labours of 
Wilson, Lassen, and others, as well as his own research, should 
enable him to supply. The reader will find accordingly, that 
with the exception of a slight attempt at condensation in the earlier 
chapters, and a very few unimportant omissions elsewhere, the 
whole of the notes of MM. Remusat, Klaproth, and Landresse 
have been preserved; while the additional matter amounts to not 
less than fifty or sixty pages. 

This great extension of his original plan compels the Editor to 
reserve for the present an introductory chapter on Buddhism for 
which he had collected ample materials. He trusts however that 
the work in its present state will be found useful to the antiqua¬ 
rian, and not devoid of interest to the general reader. His chief 
object was to promote and assist the labours of such as are engaged 
in exploring the ancient monuments of India, to many of whom 
the original edition is not easily accessible; and he cannot avoid 
remarking how greatly the same object might be promoted could 
we obtain through the instrumentality of our countrymen in China 
versions of other Chinese authors who treat of the history and 
geography of India; and especially of such as, like Fa hian, Iiouan 




VI 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


thsang, Soung yun and Hoe'i sing, have actually visited this 
country and recorded the results of their travels. Such works 
are doubtless procurable with the utmost facility in every part of 
China, and their translation into English might be effected with 
the same ease at any of our Anglo-Chinese Schools or Colleges, as 
that of a Persian or Urdu Manuscript in Calcutta. 

The Editor regrets that many typographical errors have escaped 
correction as the sheets passed through the press. These are for 
the most part of no great importance; but there are a few in the 
subjoined list which the Reader is requested to correct with his 
pen. 




ERRATA 


Page 10, line 
» 51 , ,, 

„ 116, „ 
„ 120 , „ 
„ 129, „ 
„ 153, „ 
„ 161, „ 
183, „ 
„ 203, „ 
» 215, „ 
,, 115, ,, 
» 221 , 

,, 225, „ 
„ 241, 

„ 243, „ 
„ 251 
„ 252, „ 
„ 264, „ 


30,/or “ Note 22,” read “ Note 19.” 

11, for of King read of the King, 

24, for like as read like. 

9, for Youfeou thi read Yanfeou thi. 

27, for Long ( Agama ) read Long Agama. 

27, for Fou lau na, read Fou lan na. 

10, for tours read towers. 

16, for Gina read Jina. 

8, for that tribe read the tribe. 

5, for Asoka read Ajatasatru. 

14, for then read thero. 

last line but one, for south-west read south-east, 
4, for edentification read identification. 
dele foot note. 

32, for Kivi read Kiui. 

first note,/or 6 miles read 16 miles. 

25, for 305 B. C. read 280 B. C. 

4, for south-west read south east. 























































































THE 


PILGRIMAGE OE EA HIAN. 


CHAPTER I. 


Departure from Chhang’an.—The Loung Mountains.—Western Tsin.— 
South Lian.—North Lian.—Thun houang.—The Desert of Sand. 

Fa hian , 1 when in the olden time at Chhang’an, 2 was dis¬ 
tressed to observe the Precepts and the Theological Works 3 on 
the point of being lost, and already disfigured by lacunae. For 
this reason, in the second year Houng shi distinguished by 
the cyclical characters Ki hai, he set forth with Iloe'i king , 
Tao clung , Hoei ying , Hoei wei , and sundry others, 6 to search in 
India for the Laws and the Precepts of Religion. 

They departed from Chhang’an, and having crossed the 
Loung 6 Mountains, arrived at the kingdom of Khian koue'i , T 
where they sojourned. This sojourn 8 ended, they proceeded on¬ 
ward, and arrived at the kingdom of Neou than. 9 They pass¬ 
ed the mountains Yang leou , 10 and reached the military station 
of Chang y. n 

The country of Chang y was at that time the theatre of 
great disturbances, which rendered travelling impracticable. 
The king of Chang y, out of interest amd affection, retain¬ 
ed the travellers, and proved himself their benefactor. 12 It 
was then that they fell in with Chi yan , Hoei kian, Seng shao , 
Pao yun, Seng king'* and several others. Delighted to find 


B 



2 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


themselves united to these by identity of purpose, they dwelt 
together; and when the term of their sojourn was come, they set 
forth once more, and arrived at Thun houang. At this place are 
vast entrenchments which may extend 80 li from East to "W est, 
and 40 li from North to South. They halted here one month and 
some days. Then Fa hian and five others set out again in the 
suite of sundry ambassadors, separating from Paoyun and his 
companions. The Governor of Thun houang , u Li hao, furnished 
them with the necessary means of crossing the River of Sand. 

There are Evil Spirits 16 in this River of Sand, and such 
scorching winds, that whoso encountereth them dies, and none 
escape. Neither birds are seen in the air, nor quadrupeds on 
the ground. On every side as far as the eye can reach, if you 
seek for the proper place to cross, there is no other mark to 
distinguish it than the skeletons of those who have perished 
there ; these alone serve to indicate the route! 

They travelled there seventeen days, and the distance pass¬ 
ed ere they reached the kingdom of Shen shen may be estimated 
at 1500 li. 

NOTES. 

(1) Shy fa hian; that is, “ Manifestation of the Law of Shy” (Sakya); 
a name adopted in compliance with the practice of Chinese Buddhists, who, 
upon entering a religious career, lay aside their family name, and, in token 
of renewed life, adopt another of moral or religious significance.* Fa hian is 
the abridged form of his name generally employed by our pilgrim, who in 
the course ofhis narrative invariably speaks of himself in the third person. R. 

(2) Chhany’an (perpetual repose ) ; the name of the province now known 
by that of Si’an, in Shen si. —R. 

(3) The Precepts and the Theological Works. —In the original Liu, 
Tsang liu signifies precepts; tsang, a collection. The body of the theologi¬ 
cal works is in general called Sang tsang , the three collections, or rather 
the three receptacles (in Sanscrit the three PitaJca) ; and this expression 
applies equally to the doctrine set forth in them. The three parts of this 
triple collection are the King, or sacred books, the Precepts, and the Dis¬ 
courses ( Lun ) ; in Sanscrit Sutra, Vinaya, Abhidharma. +—R. 

* Wen hian thoung khao ; book CCXXVI. page 4 et seq. 

t Fan y ming i ; book IV. 


CHAPTER I 


3 


For a summary of the contents of the great collection of Bauddha Theo¬ 
logy here referred to, we are indebted to the late M. Csoma de Koros, 
whose analyses of the Kah-gyur were published in the Journal of the Asiatic 
Society, Vol. I. pp. 1 and 374, and in the Asiatic Researches, Yol. XX. The 
Tibetan words Kah-gyur (q*lQ X bkahAxgyur ), signify ‘ translation 
of commandment,’ these works being versions of Indian originals most 
likely compiled in the first instance in Pali or Magadhi, but very soon after 
systematised and perpetuated in Sanscrit, the classical language of all Indian 
theology. (See Hodgson, Journ. As. Soc. Vol. VI. p. 682.) This great 
compilation, consisting of a hundred volumes, was translated into Tibetan 
betwixt the seventh and the thirteenth centuries of our era, but principally 
during the ninth. It consists of seven grand divisions, which are indeed so 
many distinct works ; namely, 1st— Dul va (Sans. Vinaya ), “ Discipline,” 
in 13 volumes. 2d— Sher ch’hin (Sans. Prajnydpdramita ), “ Transcen¬ 
dental wisdom,” in 21 Vols. 3d— Phal ch’hen (Sans . Buddha-vat a Sang a), 
“ Bauddha community,” in 6 Vols. 4th—D kon se'ks (Sans. Ratnakuta), 
“ Gems heaped up,” in 6 Vols. 5th— Do-de (Sans. Sutranta), “ Aphorisms 
or tracts,” in 30 Vols. 6th— Nyang-das (Sans. Nirvdna ), “ Deliverance from 
pain,” in 2 Vols. 7th— Gyut (Sans. Tantra ), “ Mystical doctrine or charms,” 
in 22 Vols. 

The entire collection is sometimes spoken of under the title of De-not- 
sum (Sans. Tri pitaka ), the “three vessels or repositories;” namely, 1st, 
Dul va (Sans. Vinaya), treating principally of education or discipline ; 2d, 
Do (Sans. Sutra), the fundamental principles or aphorisms of the Bauddha 
faith; and 3d, Ch, hos-non-pa (Sans. Abhidharma ), the Discourses. 

We learn from the text of the Vinaya , as well as from other sources, that 
these works were, in the first instance, compiled by the immediate disciples 
of Sakya, under whose authority the “first convocation on religion” was 
held at Rajagriha shortly after the demise of Buddha, to fix and perpetuate 
the doctrine of the faith as orally propounded by its author. (As. Res. 
Vol. XX. p. 42.) The Abhidharma was compiled on this occasion by 
Kasyapa; the Sutra , by Ananda; and the Vinaya, by Upali. 'In the 
course of a hundred years from the date of this convocation, so many here¬ 
sies and schisms had arisen among the priesthood, especially at Vaisali, 
that it was deemed necessary to assemble another Council in the reign 
of Asoka, to determine the canon of Scripture once more. At this “ second 
convocation” seven hundred priests assisted; and the edition produced 
under their auspices was designated Bdun-Brgyas-yang-dag-par-Brjod-pa ; 
“that has been very clearly expressed by the seven hundred.” (Csoma 
de Koros, As. Res. Vol. XX. p. 92.) Lastly, about four hundred 
b 2 


4 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


years after the death of Sakya, a “ third convocation” was held in the reign 
of Kaniska (Ibid, p. 297,) for a farther revision of these scriptures. It 
was from this third edition, according to MM. Burnouf and Lassen, that the 
Tibetan version was made. Introduction a VHistoire due Buddhisme ludien, 
p. 579 ; and Zeitschrift fur die Kunde des Morgenlandes, Vol. III. p. 157.) 

In the Pali Buddhistical Annals the times and circumstances of these 
convocations are differently stated. See Tumour, J. A. S. Vol. VI. 
p. 505 ; and the 3d and subsequent chapters of the Mahavanso, in which 
an interesting account is given of the heresies that led to these revisions of 
the canon. 

For further information on this subject, the curious reader is referred to 
the works above quoted, and to the ample illustration afforded in the sub¬ 
sequent notes of the present volume.—J. W. L. 

(4) Houng shi. —The name applied to the years of the reign of Yao heng, 
a prince of the later Thsin dynasty, who reigned in Shen si towards the end 
of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth century.* The/rsf year Iloung 
shi corresponds with the cyclical year Ki hai , (399 A. D.) There is thus 
a contradiction in the narrative of Fa hian in making the cyclical year Ki 
hai and the second year Houng shi the date of his departure. If this 
arise not from a mere error of the text, the supposition is not improbable 
that the petty princes of Tibetan origin, who in those times of trouble and 
distraction reigned on the frontiers of the empire, were not very careful of 
observing the nicities of the Chinese calendar, and noted the commence¬ 
ment of the political year on the first day of the astronomical year. Fa 
hian might thus leave Chhang’an towards the close of A. D. 399, when the 
name of the years Houng shi had been re-adjusted, although they might still 
reckon the cyclical year Ki hai. —R. 

(5) Hoei king , Tao shing, Hoei ying , Hoei wei and sundry others. 
—It was the common practice of Buddhist priests to associate themselves in 
companies for the performance of pilgrimages from town to town, and from 
temple to temple; from India to China, and from China to India. The four 
names here recited are adoptive ones of religious significance : Hoei king , 
‘ Splendour of Intelligence Tao shing , ‘ Ornament of the Doctrine 
Hoei ying , ‘ Eminent Perspicacity.’—R. 

(6) The Loung Mountains. —These hills are situated in the western part 
of Shensi , N. W. of the district of Thsin'an, and east of the river Thsing. 
They are distinguished as the great and the little Loung. In recent Chi¬ 
nese maps this name is found in latitude 35° N. and 10° W. from Pekin.—R. 

(7) The Kingdom of Khian kouei, was sitituated beyond the Loung 

* Histoire des Huns ; Vol. I. p. 162. 


CHAPTER I. 


5 


Mountain. Khian kouei is the name of a petty prince of the race of the 
Sian pi, appertaining to the dynasty of the western 7'hsin or of Loung si, 
who reigned in the western parts of Shen si, at the end of the fourth and 
the beginning of the fifth century.* Khian koue'i ascended the throne A. D. 
388.—R. 

(8) Sojourn; in the text hiatso, to stag in summer ; but the expression 
must be taken in a more general sense, as a halt or temporary rest merely, 
and not as a summer sojourn. The expression occurs frequently in Fabian 
with this import.—R. 

(9) The kingdom of Neou than. —This too, is the name of a prince and 
not of a country.i* Neou than ascended the throne of Ho si, to the west of 
the Yellow river, so late as the year Jin gin of the Cycle (A. D. 402) ; which 
would lead us to infer that Fa hian and his companions had met with great 
detention in advancing even this short distance upon their journey.— R. 

(10) As Fa hian proceeded from Si ning to Kan cheou, he must neces¬ 
sarily have crossed the great chain of mountains covered with perpetual 
snow, which separates the districts of Kan cheou and Liang cheou from the 
great valley of the river called Oulan mouran by the Mongols, and Houang 
shoui or Ta thoung ho by the Chinese. This lofty chain was anciently called 
Khi Han shan. At present its most elevated summit, which consists of a 
colossal glacier, is named in Tibetan by the neighbouring Mongols, Amige 
gang gar oola, or the “ grandfather’s mountain, white with snow.”—Kl. 

(11) Chang y, hodie Kan cheou, was, at the period of Fa hian’s transit, 
under the dominion of the dynasty of the northern Liang. The disturb¬ 
ances to which Fa hian alludes, and which for a time prevented his progress, 
arose from the incessan wars waged by these petty states against each other, 
which eventually led to their extinction. The king of Kan cheou then reigning 
was either Touan niei, who died in A. D. 401, or his successor Meng 
san, who succeeded in A. D. 402.J It is a matter of regret that Fa hian 
does not mention his benefactor’s name, which would have^fixed the date 
of his passage through Kan cheou with precision.—R. 

(12) Benefactor. —In the original text tan gouei, a Chinese word of San¬ 
scrit origin, such as the Buddhists frequently introduce. Tan or tan na 
(Sans, dana), alms, or gifts presented with a religious feeling, one of the ten 
means of salvation (paramita) ; gouei, a Chinese syllable signifying to sur¬ 
mount, to passover or beyond ; implying “ that he who practices beneficence, 
passes the sea of poverty.”§—R. 

* Histoire des Huns ; Vol. I. p. 200. Li ta'i hi sse ; book XLIV. p. 18 v. 

t Called Jo than by Deguignes, Hist, des Huns; Vol. I. p. 198. Li ta’i Iti 
sse ; book XLIV. p. 13. 

| Histoire des Huns; Vol. I. p. 224. 

$ Han tsang fa sou ; book XXX11I. p. 25 v. et alibi. 

B 3 


6 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


(13) Chi yan, Hoe'i kian, Seng shao, Pan yun, Seng king and others : aii 
names of religious significance as before, and meaning the Majesty of Pru¬ 
dence ;—the Reserve of Perspicacity ;—The Union of the Monks ; the Preci¬ 
ous (divine) Clouds ; the Splendor of the Clergy.—R. 

(14) Thun houang; —a place of great military importance from the times 
of the Han to those of the Thang dynasty. Under the five petty dynasties 
which succeeded the Thang, it bore the name of Sha cheou, or the Town of 
Sands, which it retained till the times of the Ming dynasty. The present 
town of Sha cheou is situated five or six leagues more easterly, on the right 
bank of the river Sirgaldzin got. —Kl. 

Li hao took this kingdom from the petty dynasty of the Northern Liang, 
and established an independent principality, under the name of the Western 
Liang, assuming the title, not of king, but simply of prince (Koung). — R. 

(15) The River of Sand ; —in the text Sha ho. The description given by 
our traveller of the Great Desert is very correct, and coincides closely with 
that of Marco Polo, except that Fa hian exaggerates its extent, which cannot 
be more, betwixt Sha cheou and the Lake of Lob, than 110 leagues, or 1100 
li, instead of 1500. Possibly, however, the establishments visited by the 
pilgrims were not in those days immediately on the Lake of Lob, but more 
to the westward, on the rivers of Khaidon and Yarkand daria.—R. 

(16) Evil Spirits. —Not less credulous on this subject was Marco Polo, 
who records and adopts the same superstition. “It is asserted as a well 
known fact, says he, that this desert is the abode of evil spirits, which amuse 
travellers to their destruction with most extraordinary illusions. If during 
the daytime any persons remain behind on the road, whether overtaken by 
sleep, or detained by their natural occasions, until the caravan has passed a 
hill, or is no longer in sight, they unexpectedly hear themselves called by 
their names in a tone of voice to which they are accustomed ; supposing the 
call to proceed from their companions, they are led away by it from the 
direct road, and not knowing in what direction to advance, are left to perish. 
* * * * Marvellous indeed and almost passing belief are the stories of 
these spirits of the desert, which are said at times to fill the air with the 
sounds of all kinds of musical instruments, and also of drums, and of the 
clash of arms, obliging the travellers to close their line of march and to pro¬ 
ceed in more compact order.” Marsden's Marco Polo, p. 159. It is not 
improbable after all that these sounds may really exist, and be referrible to 
natural causes. See Sir A. Burnes, on the Reg Raican , J. A. S. Vol. VII. 
p. 324.—J. W. L. 


CHAPTER II. 


7 


CHAPTER II. 


The Kingdom of Shen shen.—Ou hou.—Kao chhang. 

The kingdom of Shen shen ' is a rugged and very unequal 
country. Its soil is poor and sterile. The manners of its inha¬ 
bitants and their dress are coarse, and similar to those of the 
land of Han.* The only difference consists in the use of felt 
and stuffs. 

The king of this country honoreth the Law. 3 There may be 
in his dominions some four thousand ecclesiastics, all devoted to 
the study of the less translation .* The laity 5 in all these 
kingdoms, as well as the Sha men,* all observe the Law of 
India, 7 with differences partaking more or less of coarseness or 
of refinement. 

Henceforward, all the kingdoms that you traverse in jour¬ 
neying towards the west, resemble this in a greater or less de¬ 
gree, save that each hath its peculiar barbarous tongue ; 8 but all 
the clergy apply themselves to the study of the books of India 
and the language of India. 9 

Fa hian and the rest sojourned here one month and some days, 
then setting forth again, and travelling fifteen days in a north¬ 
westerly direction, they reached the kingdom of Ou i.'° The 
ecclesiastics of the kingdom of Ou i are also about four 
thousand in number, and all of the less translation. They are, 
as to the Law, exact and well ordered. The Sha men of the 
landofThsin* who arrive in this country are not prepared for 
the customs of these ecclesiastics. Fa hian, being provided with 
a passport, proceeded to the encampment of Koung sun, who 
then reigned, and who detained him two months and some days, 
lie then returned to Pao yun and the rest. They all found that 
the inhabitants of the kingdom Ou i, were by no means intent 
upon the practice of the rites and of justice, and evinced but 


8 


PILGRIMAGE OF IA HIAN. 


small hospitality to strangers. For this reason Chi yan, Hoei 
hum , and Hoei wei , returned straightway to the country of Kao 
chhang with the purpose of soliciting assistance for their jour¬ 
ney. Fa hian and the others had obtained a patent; Kouny sun 
had furnished them with provisions; and they were thus in 
condition to set out at once, and advance in a south-westerly 
direction. 

The country which they traversed is desert and uninhabited. 
The difficulty of crossing the rivers was extreme. Nothing in 
the world can be compared with the fatigue they had to endure. 
After a journey of one month and five days they succeeded in 
reaching Yu thian. 

NOTES. 

(1) The kingdom of Shen shen. —This country, at first named Leou lan, 
is situated in the neighbourhood of the Lake of Lob : it is sandy and sterile, 
and its government never acquired much influence. The name of Leou lan 
was changed for that of Shen shen in the first century before Christ. (See 
Deguignes, Histoire des Huns, tom. II. p. x.) R. 

(2) The Land of Han ; that is, China ; so called after the dynasty of 
Han, the remembrance of whose power is influential to this day. A Chinese 
is still called Han jin, and the Chinese language Han iu, although the Han 
have ceased to reign these sixteen hundred years. R. 

(3) The Law, i. e. the law of Foe, Buddhism. 

(4) Four thousand ecclesiastics all of the less translation. —The ecclesi- 
tics, or monks, are here denominated by the term usually applied to the 
Buddhist priests, Seng , in Sanscrit Sanga (united, joined by a common 
bond.)* 

The Sangas are distinguished according to their moral characteristics, 
into four orders : 1st, Those who accomplish justice, that is the Buddhas 
the Lokajyesthah (Honorables of the Age) the Bodhisattwas, the Pratyeka 
Buddhas, the Shrawakas, &c. whose virtue transcends the law itself, and 
who surmounting every obstacle accomplish their own deliverance (mnkti). 
2nd, The ordinary Sangas of the age: that is, men who shave their 
beards and heads, who dress themselves with the kia sha (a kind of cape 
worn by Buddhist priests) who embrace monastic life and its obligations, 
and observe the precepts and the prohibitions of Buddha. 3dly, The 
dumb-sheep Sangas , Ya yang seng ; those dull and stupid characters who are 
* Journ. Asiut. Vol. VII. p. 267. 


f 


CHAPTER II. 9 

unable to comprehend the distinction betwixt the commission and the non- 
commission of the fundamental sins, (murder, theft, fornication, lying) and 
who when guilty of crimes of less enormity make no show of repentance. 
4th, and last, The shameless Sangas, who having embraced monastic life, 
unscrupulously infringe the precepts and observances enjoined upon them, 
and devoid of all shame and chastity, are indifferent even to the bitter 
fruits of their wickedness in ages to come.* 

The less translation and the great translation are expressions of such 
frequent recurrence in the narrative of Fa hian, that it is well to explain 
their import once for all. Ta ching , in Chinese, means the great re¬ 
volution ; Siao ching , the little revolution. Ching signifies, translation, 
passage from one place to another, revolution, circumference; and also 
the medium of transport, as a car, or riding horse. Its exact Sanscrit 
equivalent is yana, the significations of which are identical.f But each 
of these acquires, with reference to the doctrines of Buddhism, a character¬ 
istic and peculiar significance. They are mystical expressions indicating 
that influence which the individual soul can and should exercise upon itself 
in order to effect its transference to a superior condition. As this action, 
or influence, and its results are of different kinds or degrees ; so they are dis¬ 
tinguished into two, three, or more yanas —(in Chinese ching, in Mongol 
kulgun ); and according as his efforts are directed to the attainment of great¬ 
er or less perfection, the Sanga belongs to the less, the mean , or the great 
translation. 

The vehiculum, which is common to all the translations, is the contempla¬ 
tion of the four realities, namely, pain, reunion, death, and the doctrine 
and that of the twelve concatenations.§ By this means man is transported 
beyond the boundary of the three worlds and the circle of birth and death. || 
Strictly speaking, there is but one translation, that of Buddha, the practice 
of which is enjoined upon all living beings, that they may escape from the 
troubled ocean of birth and death and land on the other shore, namely, that 
of the absolute.^ Buddha would at once have spread abroad the knowledge 
of the Law, and taught mankind the one translation; but he found it indis- 
pensible to adapt his instructions to the various faculties of those who receive 
them, and hence arose the different Yanas, or means of transport. We may 
in the first place distinguish the translation of disciples or auditors, (Shing 

* Ti tsang ski lun king , Book V. 

f Wilson’s Sans. Diction, h. v. 

j The four verities, or realities, are explained in several ways. See notes to 
Chap. XXII. 

a See Nouvean Journ. Asiat. Vol. VII. p. 291. 

|| Hoa yan king sou ; book I. 

^ Fa huua king ; book I. 



10 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


ven ; in Sanscrit, Shravaka), and that of distinct understandings* {Youan kid; 
in Sanscrit, Pratyeka Buddha.) f To these must be added a third, that of the 
Bodhi-sattwas, who are beings far more nearly approaching to absolute 
perfection. Again, there is another classification under five different heads, 
to wit; 1st, the translation of Men; 2nd, that of Gods ; 3rd, that of Shra- 
wakas, or hearers ; 4th, that of Pratyeka Buddhas, or distinct intelligences ; 
5th, that of Bodhi-sattwas;% or a little differently, 1st, the less Yana, or 
translation of men and Gods ; 2nd, that of the Shraivakas; 3rd, that of 
the Pratyeka Buddhas ; 4th, that of Bodhisattwas ; 5th, that of Buddhas 
or the great translation , Maha Yana.% The triple division however is the 
most usual and that which most frequently occurs in ordinary Buddhist 
writings. 

It is to the Tri yana that the double metaphor is applied of the three cars 
and the three animals swimming a river. The car is to be taken here as 
the emblem of that which advances by revolving , or that which serves as a 
vehicle ; and the idea is connected with that attached to Yana, and the means 
by which man may escape from the world, and enter upon nirvana. To the 
first car is yoked a sheep, an animal which in flight never looks back to 
observe whether it be followed by the rest of the flock. And thus it repre¬ 
sents the Shraivakas, a class of men who seek to escape from the three 
worlds by the observation of the four realities ; but who occupied solely with 
their own salvation, pay no regard to that of other men. The second car is 
drawn by deer; animals which can look back upon the herd that follow 
them. This is typical of the Pratyeka Buddhas, who, by their knowledge 
of the twelve Nidanas, || effect their own emancipation from the circle of the 
three worlds, and at the same time neglect not the salvation of other men. 
The third car is drawn by an ox, which typifies the Bodhisattwas of the 
doctrine of the three Pitakas, (see note 22, Chap. XVI.) who practice the 
six means of salvation, and seek the emancipation of others without regard 
to themselves, as the ox endures with patience whatever burthen is imposed 
upon him.^f 

The three animals swimming a river, are the elephant, the horse, and the 
hare. The river is emblematical of pure reason; the three classes above 
noted, the Shravakas, the Pratyeka Buddhas, and the Bodhisattwas, 
equally emerge from the three worlds, and bear testimony to pure 
reason ; but their faculties and their dignity vary in extent. Thus 

* See 'Nouveau Journ. Asiat. Vol. VII. p. 260. 

t Hoa ya'n king sou; book I. Thian tai sse kiao yi tsi chu ; book VII. p. 3. 

i Yu lan pan king sou ; book XXII. p. 17. v. 

& Hoa yan, ki ching kiao i; book XXII. p. 16. 

[| Observations sur quelques points ; p. 58. 

<jf Fa houa king ; book II, 


CHAITER II. 


11 


when an elephant, a horse, and a hare cross a river together, they each 
sink to greater or less depths in the stream : the elephant , touching the 
bottom, resembles the Bodhisattiva, practising the six means of salvation, 
and benefitting all creatures by ten thousand virtuous actions; suppressing 
the errors of sight and of thought, the effects of custom and of passion, and 
making manifest the doctrine ( bodhi ). The horse sinking deep, but not reach¬ 
ing the bottom of the stream, is the Pratyeka , who by the means aforesaid, 
suppresses the errors of sight and thought, as well as the effects of prejudice 
and passion, and manifests the nature of the true vacuum without attaining to 
absolute purity. The third is the hare , which floating on the surface of the 
stream without the power of penetrating deep, typifies the Shrawaka, who 
practises the four realities, and suppresses the errors of thought and sight, 
without being able to emancipate himself entirely from the influence of passion 
and prejudice.* 

A complete exposition of all that is understood by the observances of 
these various classes would be nothing short of a treatise of Bud¬ 
dhism, and would far exceed the limits of a note ; suffice it that these modes 
of translation are so many probationary steps by which men are led to a 
higher or a lower grade in the psychological hierarchy extending from 
inferior beings to the absolute. The less translation consists in the obser¬ 
vance of the precepts and the rites of religion. The five precepts and the 
ten virtues are the vehiculum of this translation, by which men and Gods 
escape the four evil grades, namely, the condition of Asura, that of demons, 
that of brutes, and that of hell, remaining still, however, in the whirlpool 
of transmigration. In the mean translation three orders of persons effect 
their emancipation from the circle of the three worlds, either by lis¬ 
tening to the oral instructions of Buddha ( Shrawakas ), or in medita¬ 
ting upon individual vicissitudes and the true void of the soul ( Pratyeka 
Buddhas ), or by the help of the ten means of salvation which draw all men 
along with them beyond the circle of the three worlds ( Badhisattwas ). 
Lastly, in the great translation the understanding, arrived at its highest 
point of perfection, conducts all living beings to the condition of Buddha.f 
Explained according to European notions, the less translation consists in 
morality and external religious observance ; the mean , in traditional or 
spontaneous psychological arrangements ; and the great translation in an 
abstruse, refined, and highly mystical theology. 

* Titian ta'i sse hiao i, and Fa houa hiuan yi, quoted in the San tsang fa sou ; 
book XI. p. 12. . 

t Hoa yan ; the chapter upon The One Revolution, quoted in the San tsang 
fa sou; book XXII. p. 16. 




12 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA IIIAN. 


It may be readily conceived that Buddhist nations would attain to higher 
or lower degrees on the translation scale as their dispositions might be more 
or less contemplative, or their intellectual condition more or less refined. 
Those to the north of the Himalayan range preferred, according to the 
Chinese, the less translation, that is morals and mythology, as most con¬ 
sistent with their nomadic and warlike habits ; while the softer people of the 
south, devoted to speculative reveries under the influence of a more genial 
climate, generally aspired to the higher study of the great translation, 
and sought to propagate its doctrines amongst the neighbouring nations.* * * § 
We thus see how the monks of any monastery might devote themselves 
at option to the study of either, and may comprehend how the Buddhists dis¬ 
tinguished their sacred works into those which contained the most exalted 
and refined dogmas of their theology, and those of mere morality and 
symbolical myths. Hence the nine kinds of Books {Sutra, Gey a, Gathd, 
Itihasa, JataJca, Adbhutadharma, TJdana, Vaipulia, Vyakdrana ), were 
divided into two classes; those appertaining to the great and those to the 
less translation. Finally, this explains the distinction vaguely alluded to 
by previous writers, of a popular and an esoteric doctrine in Buddhism, both 
attributed to Sakya Muni himself, f We shall hereafter have occasion to re¬ 
cur to this subject. R. 

(5) The laity, —in Chinese Sou jin, common people. This word occurs 
already in the preceding sentence, but its religious application in this place is 
evident from its antithesis to Sha men, Samaneans. R. 

(6) Sha men, —the Chinese transcription of the Sanscrit word Sramana, 
in its Pali from Samana. The meaning of the word, according to Chinese 
authors is, one who restrains his thought, or one who strives and restrains 
himself.% According to others it is the common name of Buddhists or here¬ 
tics. The ancients knew the term and transcribed it with exactness. § 

The Sha men are characterised by the following denominations :—1st, 
Shing tao Sha men; those who accomplish the doctrine, that is to say, in 
sight of Buddha embrace a religious life, attain to the extinction of all cupi¬ 
dity, the dissipation of ignorance and of all other imperfections, and so work 
out the principles of the doctrine. 2d, Shoue tao Sha men; those who having 
obtained for themselves its advantages, are in a condition to promulgate the 

* Chi tou lun, book XXXIII. 

t See Marini, Relation du royaume de Tunquin ; p. 197. Georgi, Alph. Tibet. 
223, &c. Geschichte der ost Mongolien, p. 16. 356. Iiist.des Huns; Vol. II. 
p. 224. Hodgson, Transact. Roy. As. Soc. Vol. II. p. 254. 

t Klaproth, Asiatic Journal, new series; Vol. VI. p. 263. San tsang fa sou 
book XVI. p. 7 v. and XXXIII. p. 24 et pass. 

§ Strabo, Lio. XV. Porphyr. de Abstin, &c. 


CHAPTER II. 


13 


true Law, and to induce others to enter upon the path of Buddha. 3d. 
Hoai tao Sha men, those who overthrow the Law by infringing its principles, 
practising all manner of wickedness, and boasting of conducting themselves 
Brdhmanically , when they do quite the reverse. 4 th, Ho tao Sha men; those 
who revive the doctrine, or who are the living doctrine; inasmuch as having 
extinguished desire, dissipated ignorance, and practised all manner of good 
deeds, they aggrandise the established law and subdue their senses by know¬ 
ledge ( prajna ).*—R. 

“ Shama, is a word qf the Sanscrit language, signifying compassionate 
feeling; that is to say, to feel compassion for those who walk in the wrong 
way, to look benevolently on the world, to feel universal charity, and to 
renovate all creatures. This word means also, to observe one’sself with 
the utmost diligence, or to endeavour to attain Nihility.”— Laws of the Sha¬ 
mans, translated from the Chinese by Neumann. —J. W. L. 

(7) The law of India, - Thian chu fa Thianchu, is the ordinary name 

of India in Chinese books. It is written with a character which is most likely 
an abbreviation of tu, and should therefore be read Thian tou, which is one 
form of the many names Shin tou, Hian teou, Sin theou, Youan tou, Yin 
tou, all transcriptions more or less altered of Sin theou, Sinde, Hind, Hin¬ 
du, which according to the Chinese, signify the moon. +—R. 

The word Thian chu, designating India, is quoted for the first time in 
Chinese annals in the 8th year of the reign of the emperor Ning ti, of the 
Han dynasty ; corresponding with 65 B. C. This name is found neither in 
the King , nor in any work anterior to that period.—Kl. 

(8) A barbarous language; —in the text hou yu. This expression is 
usually applied to the language of the Tartars and other partially civilized 
people. Fahian’s remark would lead one to believe that the people who 
inhabit the country to the west of the Lake of Lob, belonged to separate 
races, having each peculiar idioms, without reference to the Indian tongue 
which religion had introduced into these countries. These languages must 
have been the Tibetan, the Turkish, and certain Getic and other unknown 
dialects. It is doubtful whether at that period any Mongul nation had ad¬ 
vanced in this direction.—R. 

(9) The books of India and the language of India ;—in all probability the 
Sanscrit. We are ignorant whether in those times the works of the Buddhists 
were written in Pali. The latter idiom is well distinguished'from the San¬ 
scrit by differences of which the nature of the Chinese language did not per¬ 
mit the representation in the transcript. We are led to infer therefore that 

* Yu kia sse ti lan, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, Book XVI. p. 7. 
t Pian i tian, Book LVIII. 

C 




14 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


the Fan* language was indifferently the Sanscrit or the Pali. There is reason 
further to believe that the books which the Chinese obtained in the northern 
parts of India were in Sanscrit, those from the south, in Pali. Fa hian, who 
studied the language to enable him to understand and copy the sacred works, 
throws no light upon this point, although he visited so many monasteries 
from the north of India to Ceylon.—R. 

As the religion of Sakya, unlike that of Brahmanism, was one of conversion, 
and not of exclusion, and as it was propagated with ardour by its founder and 
his immediate disciples, it necessarily follows that the language in which they 
addressed the multitude must have been that best understood by the latter. 
Was it then the Sanscrit ? At the time of penning the foregoing note, the 
lamented Remusat was necessarily ignorant of James Prinsep’s splendid dis¬ 
coveries, which satisfactorily establish the fact that the most ancient epigra- 
phic monuments in all parts of India, from Girinar in Guzerat to Dhaulx 
in Cuttack, are Buddhist in substance, and Pali in language. The inference 
from this is irresistible, and scarcely needs confirmation from other sources, 
that the Pali, (the present and the traditional sacred tongue of Buddhism,) 
was the popular language of that faith in its earliest ages, and was anciently 
spoken, or at least understood, throughout all India. This conclusion is further 
borne out by the internal evidence of the language itself, which, so far being 
rude and uncultivated as prejudices imbibed from brahmanical sources led 
European scholars to suppose, (and amongst others the accomplished Cole- 
brooke, see As. Res. Vol. VII. p. 199) appears to have attained a very 
high degree of refinement, even so far back as the time of Sakya Muni 
himself. But upon this subject, I cannot do better than quote the opinion 
of that most competent authority, the Hon. Mr. Tumour, who thus 
sums up a short historical and critical notice of the Pali: “ The foregoing 
observations, coupled with the historical data, to which I shall now apply 
myself, will serve, I trust, to prove that the Pali or Magadhi language had 
attained the refinement it now possesses, at the time of Gotamo Buddha’s 
advent. No unprejudiced person, more especially a European who has 
gone through the ordinary course of a classical tuition, can consult the 
translation of the Balawataro, without recognizing in that elementary work, 
the rudiments of a precise and classically defined language, bearing no incon¬ 
siderable resemblance, as to its grammatical arrangement, to the Latin; nor 
without indeed admitting that little more is required than a copious and 
critical dictionary, to render the acquisition of that rich, refined, and poeti¬ 
cal language the Pali, as facile as the attainment of Latin.” (Mahavanso ; 
Introd. p xxvii.) 

The Buddhists of Ceylon are apt, however, to claim for their venerated 
* Plan i tian , page 2. 



CHAPTER II. 15 

Pali both greater antiquity and higher refinement than the Sanscrit ; and 
“in support of this belief,’' says Mr. Tumour, “they adduce various argu¬ 
ments which, in their judgment, are quite conclusive. They observe that 
the very word ‘ Pali’ signifies original, text, regularity; and there is 
scarcely a Buddhist Pali scholar in Ceylon, who in the discussion of this 
question will not quote, with an air of triumph, their favorite verse,— Sa 
Mdghadi; mula bhasa, narayeydde kapplied, brahmano chassuttdlapa, Sam - 
buddhachapi bhasare: 1 There is a language which is the root (of all lan¬ 
guages) men and brahptam at the commencement of the creation, who 
had never before heard nor uttered a human accent, and even the Supreme 
Buddhas, spoke it: it is Magadhi .’ This verse is a quotation from Kach- 
chayano’s grammar, the oldest referred to in the Pali literature of Ceylon.” 
(Ibid, p. xxii.) 

The superior antiquity of the Pali has been maintained with great inge¬ 
nuity of argument by Lieut.-Col. Sykes, “On the Religious, Moral, and 
Political state of ancient India,” (J. R. A. S. Yol. YI.) but we must beware 
of adopting his opinions, which are adverse to those of every Sanscrit 
scholar of eminence, and are especially untenable, since the publication of 
the Behistun inscriptions by Major Rawlinson, in which we have monu¬ 
mental evidence of the high antiquity of a language clearly derived from 
the Sanscrit.—J. R. A. S. Vol. X. 

The Pali continues to this day to be the sacred language of religion in 
all Buddhist countries, at least in those south of the Himalayas. Even in 
China, according to Mr. GutzlafF, that tongue is employed in the daily service 
of the temples ; although Medhurst, perhaps erroneously, states it to be the 
Sanscrit; a language which, except in a very corrupted form, the organs of 
the Chinese are wholly unable to pronounce. {China, its State and Pro¬ 
spects; page 206.)—J. W. L. 

(10) Ou i the barbarians of Ou: the Ouigours.—R. 

In a letter recently received from my friend Capt. Alexander Cunning¬ 
ham, now in command of the Expedition to Chinese Tartary, that gentle¬ 
man identifies the country of the Ouigours with the Serica of classical 
authors, and gives several reasons for so doing. “ The first of these is, says 
Capt. C., that the road leading to Serica lay over the Komedan mountains, 
at the source of the Oxus. This name still existed in A. D. 640, when 
Iliuan thsang visited India; for he mentions Kiu mi tho on the northern 
bank of the Oxus, along with Po mi lo, or Pamer, and Po lu lo, or Bolor. 
The next is that the Essedones {magna gens, as Ptolemy calls them), derive 
their name from the Gallic word Esseda, a chariot, or wagon. Now the 
people of the country around Beshbalik were called by the Chinese Kio 

c 2 


« 




16 


PILGRIMEGE OF FA HIAN. 


chchang from Kio che, a high-wheeled wagon, ( quaere , origin of coach ?) 
These people call themselves Ouigours, who are the O viyovpoi of the time of 
the emperor Justin,and the I Oayovpol or HTayovpoi of Ptolemy, which we may 
safely change to Oviyovpol, the Ouigours, who, as their Chinese appellation 
of Kio tshang, (wagoners,) intimates, were the same as the Essedones. The 
Sera metropolis must have been Beshbalilc, the capital of the Ouigours. The 
Psitaras river of Pliny, must simply be the Sutarini, or the river Tarini, 
that is the united streams of the Kashgar, Yarkand, and Khoten rivers.” 
See also Wilson, Ariana Aniiqua, pp. 212, 213.—J. W. L. 

(11) The Land of Thsin — By this name the whole of China is desig¬ 
nated; it is also the name of a dynasty of the third century before our 
era, the first known to Western nations, who thence derived the various 
denominations of Sinae, Qluai , China, Chinistan. But in the time of our 
traveller, a number of petty dynasties established in Shen si, revived the 
name of Thsin in that country, where it originated. Fa hian having set out 
from Shen si, without doubt alludes to these dynasties when he gives to 
these Chinese monks the name of monks of Thsin. —R. 

Although Fa hian evidently alludes to China proper upon this occasion, 
yet it must be remembered that the names Thsin , Thsi, Chin, Tsin, <S fc. 
were applied to other countries long prior to the dynasty of Thsin, which 
occupied the throne of China from B. C. 245 to 208. This is a point of 
great importance to keep in mind ; for Klaproth and, after him, Col. Sykes 
(J. R. A. S. Yol. YI. p. 435) infer from the mention of the Chinas in the 
Laws of Menu (Chapter X. v. 44) that the date of that work was subsequent 
to the Thsin dynasty. Lassen has learnedly discussed this subject in the 
Zeitschrift fur die kunde des Morgenlandes, Vol. II. p. 30—33 (a volume, 
I regret to say, missing from our shelves) ; and has shown that the word 
Thsin is not necessarily derived from the dynasty of that name, but was 
applied to various states about the time of the Emperor Wou Wang, 
B. C. 1122. In the Ramayana the Chinas are associated with the nations in¬ 
habiting the neighbourhood of Kashmir. (SeeTroyer Esquisse du Kachmir, 
affixed to his edition of the Raja Taringini, p. 322, note 10.) Wilson (Vishnu 
Purana, p. 376, note 18.) in vindicating of the antiquity of Menu and the 
Ramayana, supposes the word China to be a modern interpolation. But 
Lassen’s researches seem very satisfactorily to establish the integrity of the 
text; and so demolish at a blow all theories built upon the supposed anachron¬ 
ism.—J. W. L. 

(12) Kao chhang. —The country of the Ouigours, corresponding pretty 
accurately to the site of the present town of the Turfan, began to bear this 
designation under the Wei,* that is about the third century.—R. 

* Wen hian thoung hhao, Book CCCXXXVI. p. 13, v. 


CHAPTER III. 


17 


CHAPTER III. 


The Kingdom of Yu thian. 

Happy and flourishing is the kingdom of Yu thian. 1 The in¬ 
habitants live in the midst of great abundance. All, without 
exception, honor the Law, and it is the Law that ensures them the 
felicity they enjoy. Several times ten thousand ecclesiastics are 
reckoned amongst them, many of whom are devoted to the great 
revolution? All take their repast in common. The people of 
the country determine their abode according to the stars. Before 
the gate of every house they erect little towers. 3 The smallest 
of these may be about two toises in height. They erect monas¬ 
teries 4 of a square form, where strangers are hospitably entertained, 
and find every thing requisite for their comfort. 

The king of this country lodged Fa liian and his companions in 
a Seng kia lan .* This Seng kia lan is called Kiu ma ti? It is a 
temple of the great translation , containing three thousand eccle¬ 
siastics. These take their meals in common on a signal struck/ 
On entering the refectory their countenances are grave and se¬ 
date. They sit, each according to his rank, in order and in si¬ 
lence. They make no noise with their cups or their platters* 
These pure persons speak not to each other during meals, but 
signalise with their fingers. 

Hoei king , Tao ching y and Hoe'i tha , 8 departed in advance and 
directed their steps to the kingdom of Kie chha? Fa liian and the 
rest, who were anxious to witness the Procession of Images, re¬ 
mained behind for three months and some days. There are in 
this kingdom fourteen great Seng kia lan , and it is impossible to 
reckon the number of smaller ones. On the first day of the fourth 
moon 10 they sweep and water all the streets of the town, and they 
adorn and set in order the roads and the squares. They spread 
tapestry and hangings before the gate of the city. All is orna- 
c 3 



18 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


merited and magnificently arranged. The king, the queen, and 
many elegant ladies are stationed at this place. The monks of 
Kiu ma ti, being those devoted to the study of the great transla- 
tioriy are most honored by the king, and take, therefore, the lead in 
the Procession of Images. At the distance of three or four ti from 
the town is constructed a four-wheeled car for the Images, about 
three toises 11 in height, in the form of a moveable pavilion, adorned 
with the seven precious things, with hangings, and curtains, and 
coverlets of silk. The Image 12 is placed in the middle; on either 
side are two Phousa ; ,s while around and behind are the images 
of the Gods. All are carved in silver and in gold, with precious 
stones suspended in the air. When the Image is one hundred 
paces from the gate, the king despoils him of his diadem, 
dresses in new garments, and advancing barefoot, and holding in 
his hands perfumes and flowers, issues from the town accompa¬ 
nied by his retinue to march in front of the Image. lie pro¬ 
strates himself at its feet, and adores it, scattering flowers and 
burning incense. At the moment when the Image enters the 
town, the ladies and the young damsels in the pavilion above the 
gate, scatter from all sides a profusion of every variety of flowers, 
so that the car is completely concealed with them. 

There are different kinds of cars for each ceremonial, and each 
Seng kia tan enacts the Procession of Images on a particular day. 
This ceremony commences on the 1st day of the 4th moon, and 
the Procession of the Images is concluded on the 14th day, when 
the king and his ladies return to the palace. 

At seven or eight li west from the town there is a Seng kia 
tan, called the New Temple oj the King. Eighty years were 
occupied in building it, and the reigns of three kings were requir¬ 
ed to complete it. It may be twenty-five toises 14 in height. There 
are to be seen many ornaments and sculptures on plates of gold 
and of silver. The most precious materials were brought together 
for the construction of the tower. A chapel, dedicated to Foe, has 
since been erected, and exquisitely adorned ; the beams, the pil¬ 
lars, the folding doors, the lattices, all are overlaid with plates of 


CHAPTER III. 


19 


gold. Cells for the ecclesiastics are constructed separately, so 
beautiful and so highly decorated, that words fail to describe 
them. The princes of the six kingdoms situated to the east of 
the chain of mountains, 16 send thither as oblations every thing 
precious in their possession^ and alms so abundantly, that but a 
portion only is called into requisition. 

NOTES. 

(1) The kingdom of Yu thian. —This is the town ofKhotan, one of those 
in Tartary which adopted the religion of Buddha and observed its rites with 
the greatest magnificence. The name of this town is not derived from the 
Mongol word Khotan (a town), as was long supposed; but from two San¬ 
skrit words, as I have elsewhere shown, Kou Stand, signifying the breast 
(mamma) of the earth. Many names and expressions borrowed from Sanscrit, 
and naturalised by religion, begin to show themselves already.— R. 

(2) The great translation. See note 4, chapter II. 

(3) Small towers. —The Chinese term here translated tower, corresponds 
with the Sanskrit word sthupa,* signifying tumulus: but in the language of 
the Buddhists, this term is applied to buildings of seven, nine, and even 
thirteen stories, erected on spots where the relics of saints or of gods were 
deposited. Such towers are frequently mentioned in the course of his nar¬ 
rative by Fa hian. Other accounts, itineraries, and legends, make frequent 
allusion to similar towers. Their dimensions vary greatly; those here 
spoken of were but two Chinese toises high, or 6.120 metres (about 20 ft.) 
Many far smaller ones, miniature models of these, are also mentioned, and 
were perhaps used for the purposes of private devotion. On the other 
hand, a tower is spoken of in Gandhara, 700 Chinese feet high, or 216 
metres, twice the height of the Pinnacle of the Invalids at Paris.—R. 

(4) Monasteries ,—in the original Seng fang, “ a house for the ecclesias¬ 
tics.” Other expressions are more common. See next note.—R. 

(5) Seng kia lan. —This word, borrowed from the Sanskrit, appears here 
for the first time, and must be explained. Chinese authors explain it to 
mean gardens, or garden of several, or garden of the community. + Garden 
implies habitation in the language of Buddhism. Kia lan is also used by 
abbreviation ; but it cannot mean the garden of several , whatever the 
dictionary of Khang hi may assert to the contrary. I have submitted these 
transcriptions and interpretations to M. E. Burnouf, who proposes the re¬ 
storation of Seng kia lan by the Sanscrit word Sanga garam the house of the 

* Khang hi Tseu tian ad verb. Tha , rad. XXXII. 

f San tsang fa sou, passim. 


20 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


union, or of united priests. However this may be, the Seng kia lan is the 
abode of the Feou thou,* that is of Buddha and. the Sangas ; it is at once 
temple and monastery, in Sanscrit Vihara; and the part of the building 
where objects of worship are exposed to the adoration of the faithful, is 
denominated a Chaitya. The Tibetans call their monasteries dGan-pa. A 
description of these temples may be found in the work of Georgi,f and repre¬ 
sentations of them in the plates annexed to Mr. Hodgson's Memoir.^—R. 

Wilson, whose authority on such a subject is of great weight, suggests. 
(J. R. A. S. Vol. V. p- 110) other and more probable etymologies of Seng 
kia lan, in the Sanscrit words Sangaloya, or Sankhyalaya ; alaya signifying 
habitation or receptacle; and Sanga, a community, or Sankhya, number; or 
Sangavihara ; which Chinese organs would pronounce vehala. To judge from 
the analogy of sound, the first of these appears the most plausible etymology. 
—J. W. L. 

(6) Kiu ma ti. —Evidently a Sanscrit word; perhaps Gomati, from Go, a 
cow. This is the original name of the river Goomty (Gomati) in Oude.—R. 

(7) A signal struck. —In the text Khian chhoui; meaning either a plate 
of metal, stone, or wood, which emits a sound on being struck, and thus 
serves to summon an assembly.—R. 

Wooden bells are used to this day in China. Neumann “ visited the 
Hoe chung monastery at Canton when another European wished to try 
the effects of this wooden roller. The Chinese Ciceroni however, recom¬ 
mended the gentleman by all means to avoid it, lest it might bring all the 
priests of the monastery into the refectory.” Catechism of the Sramans, 
p. 105. Wooden bells with clappers are elsewhere described by the same 
author. Porphyry (Lib. IV.) speaks of the Samaneans {fi,afxavaioi) regulating 
their actions by the sound of a bell.—J. W. L. 

(8) Hoei tha: —one of the companions of Fa hian, whose name, not enu¬ 
merated before, signifies Intelligent Penetration. —R. 

(9) The country of Kie chha. See note 7, Chapter V. 

(10) The 1$/ day of the fourth moon. —If, as is not improbable, Fa hian 
reckons after the Chinese calendar, this ceremony must have begun on the 
4th June, and continued to the 18th.—R. 

Or if Fa hian be supposed to have adopted the Indian calendar, it began 
on the first of the moon of Assar; a matter of some little importance, 
as will be seen by and bye. At the time of our traveller’s passage through 
India the year commenced in the month of Chaitra. (Prinsep’s Tables, 2d 
part, p. 18.)—J. W. L. 


* Kang hi Tseu tian ; vide kia. 
t Trans. R. A. S. Vol. II. pp. 245, 257. 


t Alph. Tibet, page 407. 


CHAPTER III. 


21 


(11) Three toises, about 9.180 m. or about 30 English feet in height. 
The cars used in India at the present time have, according to the testimony 
of travellers, fully this elevation.—R. 

(12) The Image. —Fa hian does not particularise the divinity whose 
image was paraded on this occasion ; most probably it was that of a Bud¬ 
dha ; but we have not sufficient information on the state of Buddhism at 
Khotan in the fifth Century to enable us to decide whether this object of 
worship was a terrestrial Buddha, like Sakya Muni, or divine one, like 
Amitabha ; or in short, whether it was Buddha par excellence. The circum¬ 
stance to be spoken of in the next note, renders the last supposition the 
more probable, in as much as Kiu ma ti was a monastery of the great revo¬ 
lution.—R. 

(13) Two Phou sa. —The principal image had on each side those of two 
Phou sa or Bodhisattwas. Taking this account literally, it would appear 
that the God was accompanied by two inferior divinities, perhaps Bodhisat¬ 
twas ; but it is more probable that Buddha had on each hand the two acolytes 
of the Supreme Triad, Dharma and Sanga.* Others of the abundant triads 
of Buddhism may also be adduced, as the three Bodhisattwas, Manjusri, 
Vajra pani and Padmapani; or else Amitabha, Sakya muni, and Maitreya, 
&c. The gods whose images were placed at a greater distance from the 
principal figure, are called Thian in the text; these are the Devas of the 
Hindus, the Lha of Tibet, the Tcegri of the Mongols; such as Indra, 
Brahma, and other divinities of the Brahmanical pantheon, far inferior in 
the system of the Buddhist, to the pure or purified Intelligences, the 
Buddhas, Bodhisattwas, &c.—R. 

The reader cannot fail to be struck with the very close resemblance be¬ 
twixt the Bauddha procession here described and that of Jagannath, of which 
indeed it requires no great stretch of the imagination to suppose it to be the 
model and prototype. The time of the year at which the ceremony took 
place, corresponds, as we have seen above, very closely with that of the 
Rath Jatra, and the duration of the festival was about the same. The 
principal image with its supporters on either hand, seems the very counter¬ 
part of Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra ; and when we further bear 
in mind that the famous temple at Puri is supposed to stand on the 
site of an ancient Buddhist Chaitya; that the annual festival is accom¬ 
panied by that singular anomaly, the suspension of all caste for the time 
being; and lastly, that the image contains the supposed relics of Krishna,— 
a feature entirely abhorrent from Hinduism, but eminently characteristic of 

* See the plates accompanying Mr. Hodgson’s Memoir, Trans. R . A. S», 
Vol. II. 



22 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA IIIAN. 


Buddhism,—I tliiuk we can scarcely doubt that the procession ofJagannath 
had its origin in the observances of the latter faith.—J. W. L. 

(14) Twenty-five toises, about 76.500 metres ; a little less than the height 
of the Pantheon at Paris.—R. 

About 250 English feet. Although the great size attributed to these 
monasteries and Sthupas may have an air of exaggeration, yet the good 
faith of our simple-minded pilgrim must not be lightly impugned upon 
these grounds. The remains of Buddhist structures visible to this day, go 
far to confirm Fa hian’s statements. The height of the Ruanwelle Dagoba 
in Ceylon, originally 270 feet, was still 189 feet when visited by Major 
Forbes in 1828 ; that of the Abhayagiri is 240 feet; and that of the Jaita - 
wanardmaya (originally 315 feet high) the same. (See Knighton, on the 
Ruins of Anuradhapura, in Ceylon; J. A. S. Vol. XVI. p. 213.)— 
J. W. L. 

(15) The chain of mountains. —The mountains here spoken of are the 
Tsoung ling, or the Onion Mountains, to the west of Khotan, a chain which 
crossing in a north and south direction, rejoins the mass of the Himalaya. 
It will be seen further on that Fa hian gives a name equivalent to that of 
Himalaya, to various ranges ordinarily bearing different denominations. As 
to the six kingdoms situated to the east of the chain, the princes of which 
sent to the new temple of the king magnificent offerings, Fa hian designates 
them in no precise manner; but without doubt Shen shen, Ou hou, and 
Kao chhang, countries he had traversed, and in which Buddhism was 
established, were three of them ; the remaining three were probably situated 
between the Desert and the Onion Mountains.*—R. 


CHAPTER IY. 


Kingdom of the Tseu ho.—Tsoung ling mountains.—Kingdom of Yu hoe'i. 

After the fourth moon, the ceremony of the Procession of 
Images being concluded, Seng shao set out alone in the suite of 
a barbarian priest 1 proceeding to Ki j pin. 2 Fa hian and the 
rest proceeded towards the kingdom of Tseu ho 3 They travelled 
for twenty-five days, and at the end of that time arrived in that 
* Wen hian thoung khao, Book CCCXXXVI. p. 6. 




CHAPTER IV. 


23 


kingdom. The king is firmly attached to the faith. 4 There 
are in this country about one thousand ecclesiastics, for the 
most part adherents of the great translation. The travellers 
sojourned there fifteen days, and then proceeded southward ; and 
having marched four days, entered the Tsoung ling i mountains, 
and arrived at the kingdom of Yu hoei* where they halted. Hav¬ 
ing refreshed themselves, they resumed their journey, and in 
twenty-five days they reached the kingdom of Kie chhay where 
they rejoined Hoei king and the others. 

NOTES. 

(1) A barbarian priest.—Tao jin is a synonyme of Tao sse; a name 
given to the sectarians of Lao tseu and of the doctrine of Tao , or Supreme 
Reason. I know not why M. Remusat has translated this word, a barba¬ 
rian priest.—Kl. 

On showing the original characters to a Chinese friend, he unhesitatingly 
explained them to mean a priest , (“ padre,”) and not a traveller , as MM. 
Klaproth and Landresse would rather interpret them. See the last note to 
Chapter XL.—J. W. L. 

(2) Ki pin ,—Cophene, or the country watered by the Cophes. Rennell 
supposed the affluent of the Indus, so named by the ancients, to be identi¬ 
cal with the Cowmull; Saint-Croix believes it rather to be the Merhamhir . 
The syllable Cow is probably a remnant of the ancient appellation. Ki pin t 
which Chinese authors confound with Cashmere,* and which Deguigne has 
taken for Samarcand, supposing the latter to be identical with Kaplchak, 
corresponds with the country of Ghizneh and Candahar. It is celebrated 
in Chinese Geography, and appears to have been a flourishing seat of Bud¬ 
dhism.—R. 

The Gtimal, (not Cowmull ) rises at Durchelly , in the country of Ghiz¬ 
neh, to the south of Sirefza ; and runs at first towards the south-west, but 
soon turning to the south, pursues that course towards Domendi, where it 
receives the river Murrunye and the Kondour , which has its source in the 
neighborhood of Tirwa. Thence the Gomal proceeds easterly to Sirmagha, 
where it is joined by the Zhobi; a river nearly as large as the Gomal itself, 
rising in the mountains of Kend, east of Berchori, and running to a district 
to which it gives its name. A little to the east of Sirmagha, the Gomal 
crosses the chain of the Suliman mountains, passes before Raghzi, and ferti- 


* Piun i tian, Book LIII* 


24 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


lises the country inhabited by the tribes of Daulet Khail and Gandehpur. 
It dries up in the defile of Pegou, and its bed is supplied with water only in 
the rainy season, when it rejoins the right of the Indus to the south east 
of the town of Paharpour.—Kl. 

The Coplien of the ancients is not, as Rennell and the French Editors 
suppose, the Gomal, an inconsiderable mountain stream, dry all the year 
except at the season of the periodical rains. The Cabul River is the only 
one that corresponds with the accounts given of the Cophen by the histori¬ 
ans of Alexander, particularly Arrian, who describes it as falling into the 
Indus in the country of Peukelaotis and carrying along with it the tributary 
waters of the Malantus, Suastus, and Garseus. (Indica IV. 11.) Some of 
these names will be identified hereafter from the narrative of our pilgrim 
and the Itinerary of Hiuan tshang. 

It will be seen from the text that there were two routes to the country 
watered by the Cophen ; Seng shao most probably took the westerly or more 
direct one; while Fa hian and the rest proceeded to the same country by 
the more circuitous route of the Indus and Peshawar. Why this separa¬ 
tion took place is not stated, nor does it appear that Seng shao ever after 
rejoined the little band. He was one of those whom our pilgrim overtook 
at Chang y. —J. W. L. 

(3) Tseu ho .—This country is placed by Fa hian at the distance of 
twenty-five days march from Khotan; but the direction is not stated. On 
considering the route which our travellers would in all probability follow, 
and the positions they afterwards attained, I have traced this portion of 
their journey south-westerly from Khotan. Chinese Geographers identify the 
name of Tseu ho, which seems to signify the “ unions of sons,” with that 
of Chu kiu pho, or Chu kiu phan, words apparently derived from the 
Sanskrit. In the absence of other information I shall here transcribe the 
details touching this subject, found in the Chinese collections.* 

“ The country of Tseu ho has been known since the time of the latter 
Han, (3d century). It formerly constituted a single kingdom with that 
of Si ye (“ western night ”), but at present the two states have indepen¬ 
dent kings. The residence of the king of Tseu ho is called the Valley of 
Kian; it is 1000 li (100 leagues) from Sou le and Khachgar ; and contains 
350 families and 4000 soldiers.t 

“ Under the Wei of the north, in the third year King ming (502) in the 12th 
moon, there came tribute from the country of Chu kiu phan. This country 
is to the west of Ju thian (Khotan). Its inhabitants live in the midst of 

* Pian itian, Book LX. 

f Notice of Western Countries, quoted in the Pian i tian, p. 1. 



CHAPTER IV. 


25 


mountains. There are corn and plenty of wild fruits. The whole population 
observes the Law of Foe. The language is the same as that of Khotan. 
This state is subject to the Ye tha (Getae). Another tribute came in the 4th 
year, Young phing (511) 9th moon.* 

“The Chu kiu pho, called also Chiu kiu phan, sent tribute in the years 
Wou te (618—626) ; this is the country designated Tseu ho, under the Han 
dynasty. There are four countries, known since the time of the Han, 
which are united to it, namely, Si ye, Phou li, Y ndi, and Te jo. 
It is exactly 1000 li west from Khotan, and 300 li north of the Tsoung 
loung mountains. On the west it is coterminous with the country of Kho 
phan tho ; to the north at the distance of 900 li is the frontier of Sou le 
(Kashgar). To the south at 3000 li, is the Kingdom of Women. It contains 
2000 soldiers. The law of Feou thou is held in honour. The characters 
used are those of the brahmans.f—R. 

The position of the kingdom Tseu ho is determined in the last edition of 
the Tai thsing y thoung chi (Section 419). It is the present canton of 
Kouke yar (blue scarped bank) situated to the south of Yerkiyang, 70° 40J 
E. of Paris, and 37° 30' N. Lat. on the right bank of the river Kara sou 
which runs northerly and falls into the Tiz ab, or Tingsa ab osteng, a right 
affluent of the Yerkiyang deria. This canton being distant five degrees of 
longitude west from Khotan, and the roads being indirect, it is not sur¬ 
prising that Fa hian should occupy twenty-five days upon the journey. The 
kingdom of Chu kiu pho extends from Ingachar, or Yanghi hissar, in the 
present territory of Kashgar, to Youl arik, in that of Yerkiyang. It is 
therefore identical with Tseu ho. —Kl. 

(4) Firmly attached to religion. —The author employs a peculiar expres¬ 
sion, borrowed from the ascetic vocabulary of his faith ; tsing tsin, signify¬ 
ing properly, efforts towards purity, progress in subtle, or holy things; in 
Sanskrit virya. It is one of the ten means of attaining absolute perfection, 
or in the language of Buddhism, of attaining the other shore. I have had 
occasion before to speak of this means or paramita% (see in particular Journal 
Asiatigue, tom. VII. p. 250). Further details will be found in the Com- 
mentaire sur le Vocabulaire Pentaglotte , by M. E. Burnouf and myself.—R. 

(5) The Tsoung ling mountain. —We have already seen (Chap. III. note 
17) that this chain of hills, detached from the great mass of the Himalaya, 
runs, according to Chinese Geographers, in a direction nearly due north. Fa 
hian speaks here no doubt of some branch detached from the great eastern 

* Life of the Emperor Siouan wou ti quoted in Pian i tian, B. LX, p. 1 v. 

t Desc. of Western Countries quoted in the Pian i tian, p. 2. 

| Quaere, 74°?—J. W. L. 

§ Nouv. Jour. Asiatigue, Vol. VII. p. 25 v. 

D 




26 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


range. Our travellers on, leaving Tseu ho, fell in with it after having proceed¬ 
ed four days in a southerly direction. They were fifty, five days in crossing 
it; and of these thirty were spent in marching towards the west. In the very 
midst of these motfntains they found, as will be seen further on, a kingdom 
named Kie chha. —R. 

(6) The kingdom of Yu hoci .—This word is apparently the transcription 
of some local name ; further we know nothing,* nor is the country our travel¬ 
lers describe sufficiently known to furnish us with the means of compa¬ 
rison.—R. 

In a subsequent note (7 of Chapter V.) M. Klaproth endeavours to 
identify Yu hoei with Ladakh, but not very satisfactorily; for if Tseu ho be 
identical with Kouke gar it cannot be less than 250 miles direct distance 
from Ladakh, rendering it thus impossible that our pilgrims should reach the 
latter place in the short space of four days. —J. W. L. 


CHAPTER V. 


The kingdom of Kie chha. 

The king of Kie chha celebrates the pan che yue sse. 1 Pan 
che yue sse signifies in Chinese the yreat quinquennial assembly. 
At the time of this assembly the Sha men are invited from all 
directions. They gather like the clouds, with pomp and gravity. 
At the place where the clergy sit are suspended hangings, flags, 
and canopies. A throne is prepared and adorned with lotus 
flowers of silver and of gold, and elegant seats are arranged below 
it. Thither the king and his officers repair to perform their 
devotions according to the Law. This ceremony lasts one month, 
or two, or three; and generally takes place in spring time. 2 
When the king rises from the assembly, he exhorts his ministers 
to perform their devotions in turn. Some occupy one day 
in this duty, some two, and some three or five. When all have 
finished their devotions, the king distributes 3 the horse which 
he rides, his saddle and his bridle, the horses of the principal 
officers of his kingdom and of other persons of distinction, as well 
* Pian i tian, Book LX11I. § 2 and Book L1V. 



CHAPTER V. 


2 7 


as all kinds of woollen stuffs and precious tilings, and all that 
the Sha men may require. All the officers bind themselves by 
vows, and distribute alms; they then redeem from the eccle¬ 
siastics all these donations. 

This country is cold and mountainous. No other grain but 
corn arrives at maturity. As soon as the clergy have received 
their annual provision of grain, the weather, however fine before, 
becomes cloudy ; the king is accustomed, therefore, to ordain that 
these shall not receive their annual provision till the harvest 
arrive at maturity. 

There is in this kingdom a vase into which Foe spat; it is of 
stone, and of the same colour as Foe’s begging pot. 4 There is 
also a tooth of Foe, 5 and in honor of this tooth the people of the 
country have erected a tower. There are more than a thousand 
ecclesiastics, all attached to the study of the less revolution. 

To the east of these mountains the natives dress in coarse 
habiliments, similar to those of the land of Thsin, except the 
difference of stuffs of wool and of felt. The Sha men con¬ 
formably to the Law, make use of wheels, 6 the efficacy of which 
is not to be described. 

This kingdom is in the midst of the mountains Tsoung ling.' 
On advancing to the south of these mountains, the plants and 
fruits become quite different; there are but three plants,—the 
bamboo, the pomegranate, and the sugar-cane,—that resemble 
those of China. 

NOTES. 

(1) Pan che yue ssc. This word is evidently of Sanskrit origin, and 
means, according to our author, the great quinquennial assembly. It is a 
compound of the Sanskrit radical pancha, five [and yukli, re-union, assem¬ 
bly. Kl.]— R. 

To this etymology Professor Wilson objects that yukli is never used to 
denote an assembly or meeting of men ; and he suggests pancha-varsha, as 
the probable reading ; pancha, five, and varsha, a year. The difficulty with 
regard to this restoration is, that yue sse does not appear a very likely tran¬ 
script of varsha , perhaps a more probable Sanscrit etymon is ayu, a word 
D 2 



28 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


employed to signify either a year or the age of a man. Tlius the ordinary 
salutation or blessing of a brahman of the present day is ‘ live a 

M 

hundred years.’ The commentator on the Raghu Vansa in explanation of a 
passage in the text, purushayusha jtbinyo, observes 

-jS? vl ■* ’ 

■STrTT^J ^ Satayu vai purusa. Hence panchayusha would be “ five 

MM 

yearly.” 


As to the great quinquennial assembly here spoken of it, it was most pro¬ 
bably the very religious festival ordained for perpetual observance in his own 
dominions by the emperor Asoka, and extended by his influence to neigh¬ 
bouring countries. In his third edict, he says—“ Thus spoke the heaven- 
beloved king Piyadasi: By me after the twelfth year of my anointment, 
this commandment is made ! Everywhere in the conquered provinces 
among the faithful, whether my own subjects or foreigners, after every five 
years , let there be a public humiliation for this express object, yea for the 
confirmation of virtue and the suppression of disgraceful acts. Good and 
proper is dutiful service to mother and father;—towards friends and kins¬ 
folk, towards brahmans and sramans, excellent is charity ; prodigality and 
malicious slander are not good. All this the leader of the congregation 
shall inculcate to the assembly with appropriate explanation and example.” 
(Journal As. Soc. Yol. VII. p. 250.) In the original of the foregoing the 


words signifying every five years ar e (j * d f{j U * d rb (!) rCfb P anchasu 

i i i 

panchusu vasesu ; words which might also very well form the original of the 
awkward Chinese transcription in our text.—J. W. L. 

(2) I believe that this passage should be translated, “ either the first 
month, or the second, or the third, but generally in spring.”—Kl. 

(3) Distribution , alms. —The traveller here employs the consecrated 
word pou ski, equivalent to the Sanscrit term ddna. This is the first of the 
ten paramita or means of salvation. See above, Ch. 1, note 12, and Ch. IV. 
note 4.—R. 

(4) The pot of Foe. —The alms pot is one of the characteristic utensils of 
a religious mendicant. That used by Sakya Muni during his terrestrial 
existence, became a very precious relic. It will be spoken of again, Chap 
XII.—R. 

(5) A tooth of Foe. —The teeth of Foe are amongst the most celebrated 
reliques of Buddhism. The history of this religion preserves many facts 
connected with those precious remains of the body of Sakya Muni.—R. 

(6) Wheels. —In the text chhouan, a circular and revolving object, and 
not lun, ( chakra in Sanscrit, h Gorlce in Tibetan, and kurdou in Mongal.) 


CHAPTER V. 


29 


The passage may be differently understood, but it probably refers to pray, 
iny wheels , or cylinders to which prayers are affixed, and which are made 
to revolve with the utmost practicable rapidity, to obtain for the devotee 
at every revolution, the same merit as the recital of the prayer. A de¬ 
scription of this practice may be found in accounts of travellers who have 
visited Tartary.* The idea of a wheel , or of circular revolution , is moreover, 
one of those which recur most frequently in the metaphorical language of 
Buddhism. We have already seen that this is the proper meaning of the 
mystical expression yana (Chap. II. note 4.) The wheel is one of the eight 
symbols (yitaragas in Sanscrit; naiman taJcil, in Mongol) observed in Bud¬ 
dhist temples.f It is the symbol of supreme power in the hands of those mon- 
archs who are held to have exercised universal dominion, and who are for this 
reason termed Chakravarti, or turners of the wheel; it is the emblem of the 
transmigration of souls, which, like a circle, is without beginning or end. It 
is also the emblem of preaching ; and to announce that a Buddha has begun to 
preach the doctrine, it is said that he has begun to turn the wheel of the Law. 

Lastly, the different branches of a doctrine, or the different systems em¬ 
braced by those who adopt them, receive also the name of wheel; thus, 
the precepts of the wheel of the superior law, of the wheel of the middle 
law, and of that of the inferior law. This expression, when it occurs in the 
narrative of Fa hian, refers most probably to the use of praying wheels, which 
appear at present to be peculiar to the Buddhists of the northern Countries. 

I have found no mention of them in any Indian books that have fallen 
under my notice ; which justifies the remark made by Fa hian in the pas¬ 
sage that has elicited this note.—R. 

These ingenious and efficacious instruments are still used in the countries 
where Fa hian first saw them, and their construction seems to have attained 
very great perfection. “ On a stream falling into the rivufet,” says Moor- 
croft, “was a small stone building, which at first appeared to be a water 
mill; but which proved to be a religious cylinder, carved and painted, and 
turned round by the current.” (Travels in the Himalayan Provinces, Vol. 
I. p. 234.) —J. W. L. 

(7) The position of Kie cliha, or according to vulgar pronunciation, 
Kiet chha, or Ket chha, is the more difficult to determine, inasmuch 
as the name is not to be found in any Chinese author known in Europe. 
M. Remusat thought that in this name he recognised that of Kashmir ; but 
this country is not so cold as Kie chha according to Fa hian’s description. 

* Pallas, Vol. I. p. 568. Klaproth, Reise in den Kaukasus, Vol. T. p. 181, &c. 
t Pallas, Sammtungen hist. Nachrichten, Vol. II. p. 158. As. Res. XVI. 
p. 460. 


30 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


It produces, according to Moorcroft, wheat', barley, buckwheat, millet, maze, 
vegetables, panicum and rice : the last of which, as most cultivated, may be 
regarded as the principal cereal of the country. Besides, to reach Kashmir 
from Tseu ho, or Kouke Yar, Fa hian must have crossed the upper branch 
of the Indus, which flow r s from Tibet, and at present bears the name of Sing 
chu, or Sing dzing Khampa, and is much more considerable than that which, 
coming from the north, takes its rise at the southern base of the immense gla¬ 
cier, Poushti kher , and is called the Khameh river. In all the mountain¬ 
ous regions of central Asia, the roads which lead across glaciers, or which 
avoid them by detours, remain almost always the same ; rendering it thus 
probable that the route followed by our traveller, is no other than that which 
still leads from Khotan and Yerkiyang to western Tibet. This route ascends 
the upper part of the Tiz ab to its source, passes the defile of Kara koroum, 
to the south of which it follows the course of the Khamdan, a feeder of the 
Shayuk, and then the course of the latter to Leh, or Ladakh. From this 
town the traveller proceeds to Baltistan, keeping to the north of the Tibe¬ 
tan branch of the Indus, and we shall see that he only passes the Kameh 
much further. Fa hian on leaving Tseu ho, or Kouke yar, must therefore 
have followed a southerly direction, the Kara sou, to its sources in the 
Tsoung ling fountains. Thence having first turned to the south-east to 
reach and ascend the Tiz ab, he must have followed the course of the 
Khamdan and the Shayuk to Ladakh, which appears to be his kingdom of 
Yu hoei. From Yu hoei he marched twenty-five days, doubtless in a wes¬ 
terly direction, to Kie chha. We must look therefore for this country in 
Baltistan, which is the little or first Tibet; or in its neighbourhood.—Kl. 

Were M. Klaproth’s assumption correct, that there is but one pass 
towards northern India across this mountain range, and that it proceeds 
via Ladakh, we should be driven to suspect some error in the Chinese nar¬ 
rative which allows but four days for the journey from Tseu ho to Yu hoei. 
But such is not the case; it is well known that there are more direct routes 
towards India from Kouke yor, and by one of these we may reasonably 
infer that our travellers would approach India in preference to that via 
Ladakh, which would lead them so greatly out of their way. In the absence 
of fuller details we may never be able to determine this portion of Fa hian’a 
course with certainty ; but we may conjecture Yu hoei to lie in a southerly 
or south-westerly direction from Kouke yar. 

As to Kie chha, it were vain to attempt its identification with Kashmir, as 
this would lead our travellers a yet more unnecessary detour to the eastward, 
altogether incompatible with their subsequent course. K'ha-chhe-yul, or 
Kha-chhul, is indeed the Tibetan name of Kashmir, (Csoma de Koros, 



CHAPTER VI. 


31 


Geograph. Sketch of Tibet , J. A. S. vol. I. p. 122) ; and Katch, or Katchi 
simply, is that applied to the same country by the Bhotees and Kunawarees. 
See “ Notes on Moorcroft’s and Gerard’s travels,” by Capt. J. D. Cun¬ 
ningham, who proceeds to observe — 11 Mr. Vigne enlarges on the frequent 
occurrence of the word Kash; but without giving it the many geogra¬ 
phical positions he does, and even he omits some, it is probable that a 
tribe of that name once possessed the ivhole course of the Indus , if indeed the 
word has not a more general meaning, and a wider application.” (Journal 
Asiatic Society, Vol. XIII. p. 229.) The emperor Baber, also, mentions 
a people, named Kash , inhabiting the same locality, and suggests this word 
as the etyaaology of Kashmir. It is by no means improbable that in 
these we have the original of Kie chha ; a supposition which the concurrence 
of situation (somewhere near Skardo) seems in some degree to confirm. 

Are the people inhabiting this country the Khasas of Menu, (B. X. si. 
44, where they are mentioned immediately after the Daradas;) and the Kha- 
siras, Khasikas, or Khasakas, of the Vishnu Purana ? (Wilson’s transla¬ 
tion, page 195.) Troyer ( Esquisse du Kachmir, page 324) endeavours to 
identify these people with the Cesi of Pliny, whose position as described by 
that writer, corresponds very w r ell with the supposed situation of Kie chha , 
—hos includit Indtis , montium corona circumdatos et solitudinibus .— 
J. W. L. 


CHAPTER VI. 


Tsoung ling Mountains.—Perpetual snow.—Northern India.—The kingdom of 
Tho ly.—Colossus of Mi le Phou sa. 

From the country of Kie chha> you advance towards the west 
in approaching India of the North. It takes one month to cross 
the Tsoung ling mountains. On those mountains there is snow 
both in summer and in winter. There are also venomous dragons 
which dart their poison if they happen to miss their prey.* The 
wind, the rain, the snow, the flying sand, and the rolled pebbles 
oppose such obstructions to travellers, that out of ten thousand 
that venture there, scarce one escapes ! The natives of those 
parts are designated Men of the Snowy Mountains .* 






32 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


On crossing this chain you arrive in India of the North. 8 Im¬ 
mediately on entering the boundaries of this region, you find the 
kingdom of Tho lyf where nearly all the ecclesiastics are of the 
less translation. 

There was formerly in this kingdom a Lo han , 6 who by an effort 
of supernatural power, 8 transported a sculptor to the heaven 
Teou shouf to study the stature and the features of Mi le Phou sa , 8 
and to make on his return, an effigy of him carved in wood. The 
artist ascended three successive times to contemplate that per¬ 
sonage, and afterwards executed a statue eight toises 9 high, the 
foot of which was eight cubits 10 long. On festival days this statue 
is always effulgent with light; the kings of the country ardently 
render all homage to it. It still exists in the same locality. 11 


NOTES. 

(1) In the original the passage signifies, as I understand it, “ There are 
also venomous dragons, who if discontent spit their venom.” He probably 
alludes to the vapours and poisonous exhalations which infest the valleys of 
the Himalaya and the mountains of Tibet.—Kl. 

(2) Men of the Snowy Mountains .—We recognise in this name that of 
the mountains of the Indian Caucasus, covered with perpetual snow ; in 
Sanscrit Himalaya. The remainder of the Chinese text is confused, and 
perhaps corrupted; it is literally : Occurrentium his mrumnis, decies 
mille, non unus servatur. Istius terrse homines nomine vocantur niveo- 
rum montium homines. The difficulty arises from the repetition of the 
word Jin (homines.)—R. 

I think that the character yu, (to meet, fall in with, rencontre) belongs 
to the preceding sentence, and refers to the wind, rain, snow, the flying sand, 
and the rolling stones, which the travellers fell in with ; the meaning then 
would be, “ These obstacles, though innumerable, are none to the people 
of the country : and these people are called the people of the Snowy Moun¬ 
tains.” —Kl. 

(3) India of the North .—The country called India of the North, Pe thian 
chu, by the Buddhists and the Chinese Geographers who succeeded them, 
was not comprised in the present limits of Hindostan ; the name applies to 
the countries situated to the N. E. of the Indus, south of the Hindu Kosh 


CHAPTER VI. 


33 


in the eastern part of the country now called Afghanistan. India of the 
north contains besides T/io ly (Darada ?), Uilyana, Gandhara , and other 
countries to be named further on.—R. 

(4) Tho ly. —This little country is elsewhere wholly unknown.—R. 

M. Remusat has conjecturally identified it with Darada, as will be seen 
in the preceding note ; upon what grounds, except its situation, I know not. 
The itinerary of Hiuan Thsang throws no light upon the subject. Professor 
Wilson, however, seems to concur in Remusat’s identification, which, he 
says, “ is better founded than perhaps he is aware ; for Chilas or Dardu, 
the capital of the Dard country, is situated among the mountains where the 
Indus enters the main range.’’—J. W. L. 

(5) Lo han .— Lo han, or more exactly A lo han, is the Chinese tran¬ 
script of the Sanskrit word Arhan , venerable. A lo han signifies, according 
to the Chinese, “ he who is no more subject to birth, or who has no need 
of study (wou seng, wou Mo).” The Arhan is one who has himself arrived 
at perfection, and who knows how to direct others to it.* He is ten million 
times superior to the Anagami; and a million times inferior to a Pratyeka 
Buddha , according to the scale of merit applied to the different classes of 
saints ; a scale attributed to Sakya Muni himself, f The Arhans play a very 
conspicuous part in the Buddhic legends. The Tibetans call them g Nas- 
hrtan, and reckon eighteen principal ones, who figure also in Chinese my¬ 
thology. Sixteen others are also described, to whom they give the epithet 
great , and who reside in different islands of the terrestrial world .X The 
Arhan here spoken of is called Mo thian ti kia , (in Pali Madhyantika) 
according to the report of Hiuan Thsang. See sequel. Chap. VIII.—R. 

(6) Supernatural power ,—literally “ the sufficient strength of the Gods” 
The perfect knowledge of the verities of Buddhism obtains for the saints of 
this religion ten kinds of power. 1st, They know the thoughts of others. 
2d, They possess the pure and piercing sight of the eyes of heaven; i. e. they 
behold clearly, know without difficulty or obscurity, whatever occurs in the 
universe. 3d, They know the past and the present. 4th, They know the 
uninterrupted succession, without beginning and without end, of the Kalyas 
or mundane ages, present and future. 5th, They possess the delicacy of the 
ears of heaven , that is, they hear clearly and distinctly without obstacle or 
effort, every voice and every sound uttered in the three worlds and the ten 
parts of the universe, and discern their origin without difficulty. 6th, They 
are not restricted to corporeal conditions, but can assume at will the forms 
best adapted for the accomplishment of their purposes. 7th, They distin- 

* Hodgson, T. R. A. S. Vol. II. p. 245. 

t Foe slioue sse shi eul chung king, pp. 4, 5. 

j Fa chu ki, quoted in San tsung fa sou, B. XLV. p. 17. 



34 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA IIIAN. 


guish with delicacy words of lucky or unlucky import, whether near or 
distant. 8th, They have the knowledge of forms ; knowing, that form is 
vacuity, they can assume all forms; and knowing that vacuity is form, they 
can annihilate material bodies. 9th, They possess the knowledge of all 
the Law. 10th, They possess the science of contemplation.* 

Amongst the ten great disciples of Sakya Muni, the sixth, named Moa 
kian lian, acquired the greatest amount of supernatural power. The rest 
shone by the exact observation of the precepts, or the mode in which they 
preached the doctrine, or expounded spiritual tkings.f 

Supernatural power is called riddi khoubilgan by the Mongols. Sanang 
Setsen reports several instances of its possession.—R. 

(7) The Heaven Teou shou. —This word, usually transcribed 1'eon 
Sou, or more correctly Teou sou tho, represents the Sanskrit word Tushita , 
and signifies the abode of joy. It is one of the paradisaical mansions raised 
above the material world, and termed in Sanskrit bhuvana. Tushita is 
the fourth of these mansions comprised in the world of desires, according 
to the most general classification, and the third of the Kama vachara of the 
Buddhists of Nepaul. As Mr. Hodgson, in his Sketch of Buddhism, gives a 
more ample account of these mansions, I substitute it for the remainder of 
M. Remusat’s note. It is instructive as showing the intimate connection 
between Brahmanism and Buddhism, as well as giving a general idea of 
Buddhist cosmogony. 

“ With respect to the mansions (Bhuvanas) of the universe, it is related 
that the highest is called Agnistha Bhuvana ; and this is the abode of Adi 
Buddha. And below it, according to some accounts, there are ten, and 
according to others, thirteen Bhuvanas, named Pramodita , Vimala, Prabha - 
kart, Archishmati, Sudurjaya, Abhimukhi, Durangama, Achald, Sudhumati, 
Bharma-meghd, Stimant prubhd, Nirupama, Jnyanavati. These thirteen 
Bhuvanas are the work of A'di Buddha ; they are the Bodhhatwa-Bhu¬ 
vanas ; and whoever is a faithful follower of Buddha, will be translated to 
one of these mansions after death. 

Below the thirteen Bodhisatwa Bhuvanas, are eighteen Bhuvanas, called 
collectively, Tlupya Vachara. These are subject to Brahma', and are 
named individually, Bramha Kayika, Brahmapurdhita, Brahma prashddya, 
Maha Brahmana, Paratabha, Apramdnabha, Abhaswara, Parita-subha, 
Subha-Kishna, Anabhrakd, Punya-prasava, Vrihat-phula, Arangi-Satwa, 
Aariha, Apaya, Sudrishd, Sudarsand, and Sumukha. Pious worshippers of 
Brahma shall go to one of these eighteen Bhuvanas after death. 

* Hoa yan king, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, Book XXXVIII. p. 18 v. 

t Fan y ming i, ibid. B, XLI. p. 12 v. 




CHAPTER VI. 


35 


And below the eighteen mansions of Brahma, are six others, subject to 
Vishnu', called collectively Kama-Vachara, and separately as follows : Cha- 
lur-Mahd-raja-Kayika, Trayastrinsa, Tushita, Yama:, Nirmanavatt, Para - 
nirmita-V&savarti. And wbovever worships Vishnu with pure heart shall go 
to one of these. And below the six bhuvanas of Vishnu, are the three Bhu- 
vanas of Mahade'va, called generally Arupya Vachara , and particularly 
as follows : Abhoga-Nitya-yatnopaga, Vijnya-yatnopagd, Akinchaya-yat - 
nopaga; and these are the heavens designed for pious Siva Margis. Below 
the mansions enumerated, are Indra Bhuvana, Yama Bhuvana , Surya Bhu- 
vana, and Chandra Bhuvana ; together, with the mansions of the fixed stars, 
of the planets, and various others, which occupy the space down to the Agni 
Bhuvana , also called Agni-kund. And below Agni-kund is Vayu-kund; 
and below Vayu-kund is Prithvi, or the Earth ; and on the Earth are the 
seven dwipas , Jambu-dwipa , &c. and seven Sagaras or Seas, and eight Par- 
vatas or mountains, Sumera parvala, &c. And below Prithvi is Jala-kund, 
or the world of waters ; and the earth is on the waters as a boat. And 
below Jala-kund are seven Patalas, as Dharani , &c.; six of them are the 
abodes of the Daily as ; and the seventh is Naraka, consisting of eight sepa¬ 
rate abodes ; and these eight compose the hell of sinners ; and from the 
eighteen Bhuvanas of Brahma, down to the eight chambers of Naraka, sdl 
is the work of Manju'sri. Manjusri is by the Bauddhas esteemed the great 
architect, who constructs the mansions of the world by A'di Buddha's 
command, as Padma-Pani by his command creates all animate things." 
Transactions Roy. As. Soc. Vol. II. pp. 233, 234.—J. W. L. 

(8) Mi le phou sa, is the Chinese transcription of Maitreya Bodhisattwa. 
Mi le is the abbreviated and very corrupt pronunciation of Maitreya, a 
Sanscrit word, signifying, according to the Chinese, the Son of goodness, or 
of tenderness. This personage, who is to succeed Sakya Muni in the cha¬ 
racter of terrestrial Buddha, was under the name of Ayi to, a disciple of 
the latter. Others assert that he was born in heaven at the epoch of Sakya’s 
entering the religious career, that is to say, at the period when the duration 
of human life was 100 years. Since then he has remained in the character 
of Bodhisattwa in Tushita, and will continue there till the time of his 
advent in that of Buddha. This advent, according to a prediction delivered 
by Sakya to his disciples in the town of She wei, will take place at a very 
remote period when the duration of human life shall extend to eighty-four 
thousand years ; that is to say, after the lapse of five thousand six hundred 
and seventy millions of years.* The name of the town in which he shall 
be born, that of the prince-his father, and that of the princess his mother, 

* Japanese Cyclopedia, B. IV. p. 32. 



36 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


are also announced by Sakya. His father will be named Sieoufan ma ; his 1 
mother Fan ma youe. The latter will be the most lovely person in the world, I 
with lips like the flower ubara and breath redolent of sandal wood. Maitreya, I 
like Sakya, will be born from his mother’s right side. Then the gods, J 
inhabitants of Tushita, will break forth into singing,* &c. Maitreya will S 
live eighty.four thousand years, and the law which he shall establish will I 
have the same duration after his pari nirvana. —R. 

(9) Eight toises ■— about 80 English feet. 

(10) Eight cubits ; about 10 or 12 feet. 

(11) It still exists. —Fa hian here speaks as one who had seen this 1 
colossal statue. We shall in the following Chapter see to what era he refers I 
its erection.—R. 


CHAPTER VII. 


The River Sin theou. 


They followed this mountain chain in a south-westerly direction 
for fifteen days. The road is extremely difficult and fatiguing, 
abounding in obstacles and dangerous steeps. In those hills are to 
be seen mural precipices of rock eight thousand feet in height. 
On approaching them the sight becomes confused ; and should 
the foot of the traveller slip in passing those places, nothing in 
the world could save him. 1 

At the foot of these hills is a river named the Sin theou .* 
The ancients have perforated the rocks to open a passage, and 
have cut ladders of seven hundred steps. When you have passed 
these ladders you cross the river by (a bridge of) suspended 
ropes. The banks of the stream are about four score paces 
apart. Neither Chang khian nor Kan yng, z under the dynasty of 


* Shin Hian, 13. LXXVIII. p. 3. 



CHAPTER VII. 


37 


the Han, ever reached this point in their travels, of which an 
account is given by the Interpreters 4 of the Cabinet of Foreign 
Affairs. 

The ecclesiastics asked Fa hian if one might know when the 
Law of Foe began to spread in the East ? Ilian replied to them ; 
“ I learnt from the people of that country, and they all assured 
me, that according to the most ancient traditions, it was after the 
erection of the statue of Mi le Phou sa that the Sha men 
of India passed this river, carrying with them the sacred books 
and the collection of the Precepts.” The statue was erected 
three hundred years after the Ni houan of Foe, which by calcula¬ 
tion of the years, corresponds with the time of Phing wang , 5 of 
the family of Cheou. We may, therefore, affirm that the Great 
Doctrine began to be propagated and extended at the time of the 
erection of this statue. Without the assistance of this great 
master Mi le y who could have continued the labours of Shy Ida 
and reduced his laws to practice ? Who had been able to diffuse 
the knowledge of the Three Precious Ones, 6 and make it penetrate 
even to the inhabitants of the world’s extremity, teaching them 
to know with certainty the origin of the mysterious revolution ? 
This is no result of human endeavour. Nor was such the dream 
of Ming ti , 7 of the dynasty of the Han. 


NOTES. 

(1) Nothing could save him. —This description of the escarpments in the 
lofty chain of the Himalaya perfectly corresponds with the accounts of 
modern travellers, who corroborate this recital of the difficulties which render 
the passage equally painful and perilous; the peaked rocks, the steps cut in 
their precipitous sides, the chains extended across valleys, and the suspen¬ 
sion bridges.—R. 

(2) The river Sin theou. —This word signifies, according to Chinese 
interpretation, the River of Testimony (or which serves for proof). Ac¬ 
cording to Buddhist cosmography, it issues from the south of the Lake A 
neou tha, passes through the mouth of the golden elephant, turns once (some 




38 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


say seven times) round the lake, and thence proceeds to discharge itself into 
the sea of the south-west.* 

We learn from this cosmography, that four rivers, starting from the same 
point, flow in opposite directions : 1st, the Heng kia or Heng, (Ganges) the 
name of which signifies in Sanscrit, come from the celestial mansion , be¬ 
cause it takes its source in an elevated region. It issues from the eastern 
side of the lake A neou tha , so named from a Sanscrit word ( anawadata) 
signifying exempt from tumult. This lake is situated to the eastot the Moun¬ 
tain of Perfumes, and north of the great Snowy Range; it is eight hundred 
li in circumference, and its banks are adorned with gold, silver, glass, crys¬ 
tal, copper, iron, &c. The Ganges issues from the mouth of an ox of silver, 
and circumscribing the lake once, discharges itself into the sea of the south¬ 
east. 2d, The Sin theou, (Sind) of which we now speak. 3d, The Fo thsou 
( Vach, Oxus or Jihon), the Sanscrit name of which signifies the pure stream; 
it issues on the west side of the lake A neou tha , from the mouth of a horse 
of glass, or of sapphire, encircles the lake once, and discharges itself into the 
sea of the north-west. 4th, The Si to, from a Sanscrit word, ( sita ) which 
signifies cold; it issues on the northern part of the lake, from the throat of 
a lion of Pho ti kia (sphatika , rock crystal) encircles the lake once, and 
throws itself into the sea of the north-east.”f Pallas,J following the Mongo¬ 
lian cosmography, Ertundjin tooli, names these rivers, the Ganga, Shilda, 
Baktchou (Wakshou, Oxus,) and Aipara. B. Bergmann,§ quoting the same 
work, names them the Ganga, Sidda, Barkho and Baktchi , or Shida. 
Father Horace names them after the Tibetans, mGan-hgis, Sindhou, 
Paktchhou, and Sida. ||—R. 

The lake A neou tha, or Anawadata, is the Rawanhrada of the Hindus, 
and Mapam dalai of the Mandchu-Chinese maps made under Kang hi and 
Khian loung * * * . M. E. Burnouf suggests another explanation of the 
word A neou tha. In Pali the lake is named Anavatatta, which can be no 
other than the Sanscrit word Anava tapta, that is, “ not brightened, or 
warmed (by the sunbeams) an explanation that accords 'well with the 
opinion entertained of lake Ravanhrada.—Kl. 

(3) Chang khian and Kan yng. —Chang khian, a Chinese general who 
lived in the reign of Wou ti of the Han dynasty, conducted in the year A. D. 
122, the first memorable expedition of his nation into Central Asia. He was 


* Chang A han king, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, Book XVIII. p. 21. v. 
t Ibul. 

$ Sammlungen, Vol. II. p 37. 

§ Nomadische Streifereien, Vol. III. p- 198. 

|| Alphab, Tibet, p. 186. 



CHAPTER VII, 


39 


sent as ambassador to the Yue ti , but was detained by the Hioung non and 
kept a prisoner for ten years by those people. During his residence among 
them, he obtained an extensive knowledge of the countries lying to the west 
of China. Having effected his escape, he travelled many days westward as far 
as Ta wan (Farghana). Thence he passed on to Khang kiu (Sogdiana), and 
the countries of the Yue ti and the Dahse. To avoid on his return the obsta¬ 
cles that had before detained him, he passed by the mountains through the 
country of the Khiang (Tibet) ; but even thus he did not escape a second 
capture by the Hioung non ; a circumstance, by the way, which shows that 
even then Tibet was exposed to the incursions of the northern tribes. 
Escaping again, he succeeded in reaching China, after an absence of 13 
years, with no more than two out of the hundred followers with whom he 
set out. The countries visited by him in person were Ta wan, the country 
I of the great Yue ti, that of the Ta hia (Dahse) and Khang kiu, or Sogdiana. 
But besides these he had collected information of five or six other great 
states situated in their neighbourhood, of which he thus reported to the em¬ 
peror on his return. “ When in the country of the Ta hia,” he observes, “ I 
remarked the bamboos of Khioung and the fabrics of Shu. I asked whence 
these objects had been procured. The Ta hia replied, our merchants trade 
with the country of Shin tou (Sind) Shin tou is to the south-east of the 
Ta hia , distant several thousand li. The manners and dress of the inhabi¬ 
tants resemble those of the Ta hia; but their country is low, hot and humid. 
The people make war mounted upon elephants. Their country extends to 
the sea. According to my calculation the country of the Ta hia is twelve 
hundred li to the south-west of China : and since Shin tou is several thou¬ 
sand li to the south-east of the Ta hia, and many articles from Shu are 
found there this country should not be very far distant from Shu. On this 
account I wished to pass by the country of the Khiang ; but in seeking to 
j avoid the dangers which threatened me amongst those people, I proceeded 
somewhat too far to the north, and was captured by the Hioung non. It 
would however be easy to issue by the country of Shu, and you would not be 
exposed to the attacks of brigands.” 

The emperor having learnt that these people formed powerful nations, 
and highly esteemed the merchandise of China, sanctioned the project of 
Chang khian, and dispatched several envoys in different directions from 
Shu. These found the roads closed to the north by the Ti and the Tso ; 
and to the south Sou'i and the Kouen ning; tribes abandoned to a predatory 
life. Many of the Chinese emissaries were killed, so that the projected 
intercourse never took place. A few however, succeeded in reaching the 
kingdom of Thian, 1200 li to the west, to which the merchandise from Shu 

E 2 




PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


40 

•was conveyed. It was thus in seeking to establish an intercourse with the 
Dahse that the Chinese obtained their knowledge of the kingdom of Thian. 

Chang khian was afterwards advanced to an important office ; but having 
failed in an expedition against the Hionng nou (B. C. 125) he incurred the 
penalty of death, commuted by special grace, to the entire loss of rank. He 
did not omit, however, to publish much useful information regarding the 
countries and people west of China, as such possessed great interest for his 
countrymen, who affected supremacy over Central Asia.* I have thought it 
right to enter upon these details because they refer to the earliest discovery of 
India by the Chinese. No mention whatever is made of this country, previous 
to this era, in any Chinese work with which we are acquainted. The other 
general, Kan yng , was sent in the year 97 A. D. as far as the borders of the 
Western, that is, the Caspian sea, with instructions to subject the Roman 
Empire. The information he derived from Tiao chi, (Tadjiks) and ihe An 
tzu , regarding the vast extent of this sea, and the time it would require to 
cross it, (three months with a fair wind, two years with an unfavourable one) 
induced him to abandon the expedition and return.f 

It is evident from the foregoing that Fa hian had no exact idea of the 
distance or the direction traversed by either of these generals.—R. 

(4) The Interpreters. —I have introduced a slight correction in this 
passage. Kieou yi , is the name of a kind of interpreters attached to the Tian 
shou koue , or bureau for the affairs of the foreign nations recently subjected 
to the Han dynasty i It is to the reports of these employes that much 
of the geographic and ethnographic information of foreign countries is 
due.—R. 

I think that M. Abel Remusat is mistaken in his correction of this pas¬ 
sage, which should be translated, “ The two banks of the river are at least 
80 paces asunder ; there are nine stations (where you pass it.) It is related 
that neither Chang khian, nor Kan yng, reached this point.”—Kl. 

(5) Thing wang of the dynasty of Chcou. —Here we hare a fact of the 
utmost importance in the history of Buddhism, determining the epoch when 
this religion spread beyond the Indus, into the eastern countries of Asia, 
into Tartary, and as far as China. It has been usual to fix the date of 
its introduction into the last mentioned country in the year 61 A. D. and 
to ascribe it to an event to be noticed in a subsequent note. But this 
was, in fact, merely the date of its official adoption ; for it was then that the 

* Life of Chang khian in the History of the Han, Thsian han shou , B. LXI. 

p. 1. 

t Ibid, B. LXXXVIII. p. 6. 

+ Ibid, B. XXX. p. 7. v. 


CHAPTER VII. 


41 


worship of Buddha was, according to authentic historians, admitted to the 
capital and professed with public solemnities. But there are isolated facts 
of which the memorials are incidentally preserved, which attest that Bud¬ 
dhism had nevertheless penetrated into various provinces at an earlier 
period, and had established itself unostentatiously, without exciting observa¬ 
tion. It is even probable that this religion was preached in very early 
times, and that the destruction of the books under Shi houang ti, of the 
Thsin dynasty, was the cause of its decadence ;* and it is related that in the 
twenty-ninth or thirtieth year of the reign of that prince, a Samanean 
from the west, named She li fang , came to Hian yang, (a town near Si an 
fou, in Shensi) with eighteen other ecclesiastics, bringing the sacred books 
in Sanscrit. They presented themselves at court; but the emperor, shocked 
at their extraordinary customs, put them into prison. On that, Li fang 
and his companions began to recite the Maha prajna paramitd; a brilliant 
light filled the entire prison, and immediately after, a genius of the colour 
of gold, and sixteen feet in height, armed with a club, broke open the gates 
and liberated the prisoners. The Emperor was alarmed, and repenting his 
treatment of them, dismissed them with great honor, t 

Towards the year 122 B. C. the campaign of the general Hou khin ping 
against the Hioung non, brought the Chinese to a country named Hieou 
thou, situated beyond the mountains of Yarkand. The king of that coun¬ 
try offered sacrifice to a golden statue of a man. This statue was captured 
and conveyed to the Emperor in 121 B. C.+ Yan sse kou observes that it 
was made of gold to represent the prince of the celestial genii, and that it 
is the model of the statues of Foe now in use. The Emperor deeming it 
sacred, deposited it in the palace of sweet springs. It was more than one 
toise high. No sacrifices were offered to it, perfumes only were burnt 
in its honor. § It is thus adds he, that the worship of Foe began to be 
introduced. Chang khian, on his return from his embassy to Ta hia, re¬ 
counting what he had learnt of neighbouring nations, speaks of Shin tou, or 
India, and the worship of Feou thou.\\ Under ’Ai ti (2 years B. C.) a savant 
named Thsin king, received from an envoy of the Yue ti, named I tsun kheon, 
certain Buddhist works. China at this time, to adopt the expression of the 
historian of the Wei, understood this doctrine, but believed it not.^[ This 
is all that I can find regarding the introduction of Buddhism into China 


* 


t 


1 


Wen hian tlwung khao, B. CCXX VI. p. 3. Y 

Foe fa kin thang pian, quoted in the Shin i tian, d. LI A., p. 
Thsian han shou, Life of Wou ti. 

Wei shou, notice of the Sects of Shy kia and Lao tse it. 

Ibid. 


5 . 



42 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


prior to the year 61 A. D., which is the epoch usually accepted for that 
event. We shall presently learn further details of the part enacted by the 
Emperor Ming ti in connection with this subject. 

As to the history of this religion, which the Chinese found in their 
earliest expeditions established in the north of Tibet and in Bucharia, Fa 
hian is the author who has preserved for us the most precise and inter¬ 
esting tradition. According to him, the Buddhists of the Indus asserted 
that their religion had been spread beyond that river by the labours of the 
Samaneans of India, at the time of the erection of the colossal statue of 
Maitreya Bodhisattwa, and that this event took place three hundred 
years after the nirvana of Sakya, in the reign of Phing wang, of the 
dynasty of Cheou. Now Phing wang began to reign in the year 770 B. C. 
and died in 720. This fact, en passant, would establish the death of Sakya, 
according to our author, 300 years before the erection of the statue, i. e. 
in the year 1020 B. C. or a little later. Now, without entering upon 
the discussion of the various dates assigned by the Buddhists to this event, 
so important to them, I may observe that the calculation most generally 
adopted by the Chinese places the birth of Sakya in the year 1027, or 
1029 B. C. and his death in 950.* The date adopted by other Chinese 
authors well informed in Buddhist traditions,f differs yet more from the 
chronology of Fa hian, since it places the birth of Sakya, in the ninth year 
of Chouang Wang, (688 B. C.), which brings down his death to 609, more 
than a century subsequent to the date assigned to the erection of the statue. 
We may here remark on the expressions in the text, that they show' that in 
the opinion of Fa hian, Maitreya was not a mere mythological personage 
restricted to Tushita, but that his influence was effectual on earth in promot¬ 
ing the objects of Sakya’s mission and in propagating his doctrine to 
the ends of the world. This passage must be compared with the other 
traditions, which fix the advent of a personage of the order of Bodhisattwas 
three centuries after Sakya, as a kind of reformer, or continuer of Buddhist 
predication, and a compiler of the sacred books, and which speak of him as 
engaged in this work in the western part of India. The colossal statue of 
the Bodhisattwa will be spoken of in the account of Udyana by Hiouan 
thsang.—R. 

(6) The knowledge of the Three Precious Ones ;—that is to say, of the 
Tri ratna, or Buddha , Dharma and Sanga. I have elsewhere collected 
many illustrations of this triad amongst the Buddhists to these I will now 

* Melanges Asiatiques , Vol. I. pp. 115—117. 

t Shin i turn, B. LIX. pp. 1—3. 

j Hodgson, Sketch of Buddhism. 


CHAPTER VII. 


43 


add the following curious passage from a Muhammadan author :—“ When 
the Tibetans make oath, they invoke the Kandja soum (d Kon m tchhog 
sown,) that is to say, the triple God ; Kandja meaning God, and soum , three. 
They assert however that there is but one God, and the other two are his 
prophet and his word, and that the combination of these three in the oath 
refers to but one God. There is moreover a great resemblance between the 
Lamas of Tibet and the monks of Christian nations, &c.”* Buddhist tra¬ 
vellers, when they would assert of a people or a prince that they practise 
the Samanean religion, simply remark that they are deeply attached to the 
three precious ones. The dogma of the three precious ones is with them the 
foundation of the doctrine ; a point which once admitted, involves all others 
with it. Not to believe in the three precious ones is an unpardonable 
sin. It would be difficult to understand these passages in the strict sense in 
which the words Buddha, the Law, and the Clergy, are generally accepted. 
It is evident that a Supreme Triad is spoken of, whose intelligence is manifest 
by speech and separate personality. Without entering here upon a metaphysical 
or theological discussion, which has found place elsewhere, I shall repeat an 
anecdote with which a Chinese book printed in Japan furnishes me. In the 
fifteenth year of the reign of a prince of Sin ra, (Sin lo in Corea) named Fa, 
hingwong, the king, promoter of the Law, 528 A. D. the religion of Foe be¬ 
gan to spread in this country. Formerly in the reign of No khi wang , a Sama¬ 
nean named Me hou tseu arrived from Kao li, (Corea proper) at the town of 
I chen na. He excavated a grot for his dwelling. The Emperor of China, 
of the dynasty of the Liang, sent a present to the prince of Sin ra, consist¬ 
ing of all manner of perfumes ; but of these neither the prince nor his sub¬ 
jects recognised the use or even the names. Hou tseu instructed them. 

! “ These substances, said he, are designed to be burnt; the exquisite odour 

1 which they emit extends to the sanctified spirits ; and amongst those desig¬ 

nated sanctified spirits, there are none above the three precious ones ; the first 
| is called Foe tho ; the second Tha mo; the third Seng Ha. If you make your 
invocations in burning these perfumes, Divine Intelligence will not fail to 
respond. At that moment the daughter of the king fell sick. They directed 
Hou tseu to burn the perfumes and repeat the formulae. The princess was 
forthwith restored. The king was delighted, and munificently rewarded the 
Samanean.”f 

I will add, as the opportunity offers, that the images, the books, and 
the worship of Foe were introduced into Corea in the second year of the 
king Siao sheou lin (372) ; that the art of writing was introduced into Fe 

* Mir Izzut ullah, J. R. A. S. Vol. VII. p. 292. 

f Japanese Encyclop. B. XIII. p. 10. 




44 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


tsi (another part of Corea) in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of Siao 
kou wang (374) and that a foreign ecclesiastic, named Ma la nan kouei, 
came from Tsin (China) to the same country in the tenth year of king Kieou 
sheou, (384) ; the king went out before him, led him to his palace and 
showed him the greatest honor. It was then that Buddhism was established 
in Pe tsi. The following year they began a temple to Foe upon Mount 
Han, and ten persons there embraced the monastic life. 

I say nothing of the establishment of Buddhism in Japan. Titsingh, in his 
Annals of the Dairis , and M. Klaproth in the annotations he has added to 
that work, will no doubt give every necessary elucidation.—R. 

(7) The dream of Ming ti.—Ming ti , of the Han dynasty, had a dream ; 
he beheld a man of the colour of gold, and of lofty stature, and having his 
head surrounded by a luminous halo, soaring above his palace. He consulted 
his courtiers on the subject of his dream. They replied, “ In the western 
countries there was a spirit named Foe.” The Emperor therefore appointed 
a high officer named Thsa'i yn, and a scholar named Thsing king , to pro¬ 
ceed with sundry others to Hindostan, and gather information touching the 
doctrine of Foe; to draw, paint or depict the Feou thou (temples and idols) 
and to collect the precepts. Thsa'i yn applied to the Samaneans, and re¬ 
turned with two of them, Ma teng and Chou fa lan to Lo yang. It 
was then that the Central Kingdom began to possess Samaneans and to 
observe the genuflexions. A prince of Chou , named Yng was the first to 
embrace the new religion. Yng also procured the book of Foe in forty-two 
chapters, and the images of Sakya. Ming ti caused paintings of religious 
subjects to be made, and placed them in the * Tower of Purity.’ The sacred 
book was deposited in a stone building near the tower of Lan; and as in 
returning to Lo yang , Thsa'i yn had placed this book on a white horse, a 
monastery was constructed, called the ‘ Temple of the White Horse.’ Ma 
teng and Fa lan passed their lives in this monastery.—R. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


Kingdom of Ou chang.—Print of the foot of Foe. 

On passing this river you are in the kingdom of Ou chang . 1 
The kingdom of Ou chang forms the extreme northern portion of 
India. Here they actually speak the language of Central India . 2 


CHAPTER VIII. 


45 


Central India is denominated the Kingdom of the Middle. The 
dresses of the people and their manner of living are also similar 
to those of the Kingdom of the Middle. The law of Foe is 
held in the highest reverence. At all the places where the 
ecclesiastics halted were Seng Ida lan. There are about five 
hundred Seng kia lan , all devoted to the study of the less transla¬ 
tion* If any stranger, or Pi kieou 5 arrive, they receive him with 
eagerness and entertain him three days. After these three days 
they warn him to seek for another hospitium. 

When tradition tells of the travels of Foe in the north of 
India, it is of this kingdom that it speaks. Foe here left the 
impression of his foot. The dimensions of this impression vary ac¬ 
cording to the thoughts of those who contemplate it. 6 It remains 
to this day. The stone upon which his clothes were dried in 
the sun, 7 and the place where the wicked dragons were converted, 
equally remain. The stone is one toise in height, two toises 
square, and flat on one side. 

Three ecclesiastics, Hoei king, Tao ching, and Hoei tha, set 
out in advance to the kingdom of Na kie , 8 where is the shadow 
of Foe. 9 Fa hian and the others tarried a time in this kingdom ; 
and when the term of their sojourn had elapsed, they descended 
towards the south, into the kingdom of Su ho to. 

NOTES. 

(1) The kingdom of Ou chhang.— This name signifies a garden ; in San¬ 
scrit Udydna; the country was so named because the park of a king of the 
wheel (Chakravarti raja) was formerly there. Fa hian is the first Chinese 
by whom it is spoken of: according to his orthography, the name is Ou 
chang ; Soung yun writes it Ou chhang , and Hiouan thsang Ou chang na. 
The last mentioned traveller preserves two other spellings, Ou san chhang 
and Ou chha. That which he has himself adopted is the most exact trans¬ 
cription the Chinese admits of, Oudvana, the tch or dj almost always being 
substituted for the soft dental in the transcription of Indian words. 

The country of Udyana is very celebrated in Buddhist annals; but it is 
not from travellers of this creed alone that the Chinese derive their know- 



46 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


ledge of it. They had political intercourse and relations with the princes of 
Udyana especially in 502, 518, 521, and G42, A. D. The historical exist¬ 
ence of this country in A. D. 401 or 402, when visited by Fa hian, cannot 
be doubted, as also in the year A. D. 042, when its king addressed a letter 
to the Emperor of China. If we rely upon legends, it must have been 
known by the name of Udyana in the time of Sakya Muni; but w r e are not 
yet in a position to enable us to adopt, or even to discuss such traditions. 

Ma touan lin places this kingdom to the east of Kandahar, and there 
locates the Brahmans, whom he designates the first among the tribes of bar¬ 
barians. This country could not be far removed from Attock or Peshawur ; 
but the name is no longer found among the geographical denominations 
of that neighbourhood; nor is there any resembling it among the ancient 
names of places in northern and western India, extracted from the Puranas 
by Wilford, or among those extracted by Ward from the Markandeya 
Parana. This remark may be extended to the rest of our itinerary ; too 
many revolutions have overturned the institutions of India to admit of our 
tracing the names of places of more than fourteen centuries ago upon 
modern maps. The Hindus have no idea of the critical labours, by means 
of which, in China as well as in Europe, concurrent evidence is brought 
together as the groundwork of ancient geography ; and amongst learned 
Europeans, whom the study of Sanscrit has placed in a position to supply 
such materials, but a very small number have been attracted to researches so 
dry, thorny, and distasteful. The geography of the Puranas by Wilford, has 
not been sufficiently followed up ; it would nevertheless be most interesting 
to extend the investigations and correct the errors of that laborious but too 
systematizing writer. The perusal of those ancient compositions the Rama- 
yana, Mahabharata, and other poems, such as the Megha data , undertaken 
for the express purpose of despoiling them of their geographical information, 
would be a genuine service to learning. We justly admire in these works their 
graceful pictures and elegant descriptive ; but these beauties, however admira¬ 
ble, are the objects of exclusive interest only to superficial understandings. A 
few fugitive notes adapted to chronological purposes, or to elucidate the an¬ 
cient Geography of India, would have infinitely more value in the estimation 
of the learned. There are some happy attempts in this way of late years ; but 
these do not grapple with the entire subject. Hence the determination of 
the places spoken of by Fa hian has been a laborious work ; and would 
have been impracticable in the time of Deguignes. 

[Before the reader proceed to the sequel of M. Remusat’s highly in¬ 
teresting note, it may be as well to apprise him that here begins the grand 
geographical error of the learned French commentators, who conduct our 


CHAPTER VIII. 


4 7 


pilgrim as far west as Kandahar, while his actual route extended no further 
than the neighbourhood of Jellalabad. This error will be sufficiently appa¬ 
rent as we progress; meanwhile the insertion of the following observations 
of Professor Wilson, on Ou chang , will not be deemed inappropriate. “ It 
is not correct to say that its name ( Ou chang) is not traceable in Sanscrit 
authorities ; and it is rather remarkable that we find the name in what may 
be considered rather its vernacular than its classical form. We have not 
Udyana, but Ujjana, the Ou chang na of the later Chinese traveller. Ujjana 
is named in the Mahabharat, in the Vana Parva (Vol. I. p. 585), as one of 
the Tirthas, or holy places, of the north, and its mention follows close upon 
that of Kashmir, from which therefore its contiguity may be inferred. We 
have therefore the Sanscrit verification of its name and site, and this confirms 
its position on the upper part of the Indus, possibly on either bank, extend¬ 
ing westward towards Cabul, and eastward towards Kashmir. Chinese 
authority, also, is not wanting for such a position, for Ma twan lin, as 
quoted by Remusat, states that it lies east of Kian tho lo, and in the Itinerary 
of Hiouan thsang, Kian tho lo is bounded on the east by the Indus. He 
places Ou chang 600 li to the north of Kian tho lo. In accounts extracted 
by M. Remusat, from Chinese Geographical compilations, Ou chang is 
evidently confounded with Kashmir ; the description of its mountains, its 
valleys, its forests, its fertility, its irrigation, its rice, its lakes tenanted by 
dragons, the Nagas of the Raja Tarangini and the Kashmirian chronicles, 
and the character of its people as ingenious and gentle, but cowardly and 
crafty, as still perfectly applicable to Kashmir. At a later period, however, 
the Chinese knew Kashmir, by its own name ; Kia she mi lo, is its appella- 
' tion in the itinerary of Hiouan thsang. It is easy to understand, however, 

! this seeming confusion. Kashmir had at various times a political boundary 
considerably exceeding its natural limits. At different periods, therefore, 
j different districts, such as Ujjana, were or were not considered to be por¬ 
tions of Kashmir.”—J. R. A. S. Vol. VII. pp. 115, 116. The identification 
is here complete; name and situation both concur in proving the Ou chang 
j of Fa hian to be the Ujjana of Indian Literature ; a country situated on the 
i Indus, immediately west of Kashmir.—J. W. L.] 

We see by the account of Fa hian that Buddhism was established in the 
4th century in the eastern part of Afghanistan on the right bank of the Indus 
in a country now known by the name of Kafristan, or the country of idola¬ 
ters ; for this is incontestibly the country of Udyana, whatever may have been 
its extent towards the west. We learn elsewhere* that the same religion 


* Plan i tian, description of Ou chang , p. 6. 




48 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HI AN. 


flourished there in the seventh century although manifesting some symptoms 
of decline ; that of more than fourteen hundred monasteries existing there in 
former times, several had fallen into ruins; that many of the ecclesiastics 
had removed elsewhere ; and that those who remained had lost the orthodox 
understanding of the sacred books. These facts, preserved in books written 
previous to the invasion of the Muhammadans, are consistent with the 
testimony subsequently borne by the latter, and may even serve to explain 
it. Several facts connected with the kingdom of Udyana, and known to the 
Chinese during the dynasties of the northern Wei and the Thang, will be 
found in the following extract from the Kou kin thou shou , Pian i tian, 
Chap. LXIII. pp. 1, 15. 

“ In the third year King ming , of the reign of Siuan wou ti, of the dynas¬ 
ty of the northern Wei (502 A. D.) ambassadors from the kingdom of Ou 
chang brought tribute. 

“ This kingdom is to the south of Siu mi (Su meru ) : on its north is the 
chain of the Onion Mountains ; on the south, it borders with India. The 
Brahmans are, among foreigners, looked upon as the superior caste. The 
Brahmans are versed in the science of the heavens and in the calculation of 
lucky and unlucky days. The kings do nothing without consulting their 
opinions. 

“ This country contains many forests and produces fruits. Water is led 
for the irrigation of fields. The soil is fertile, and produces rice and wheat 
in abundance. There are many followers of Foe. The temples and the 
towers are highly adorned and magnificent. When two parties have a dis¬ 
pute they submit themselves to the ordeal of drugs; he who is in the wrong 
experiences violent pain ; but he who is in the right suffers no inconvenience. 
The punishment of death is not inflicted by their law ; criminals who 
merit this punishment are simply banished to the S. W. of the mountains of 
« Intelligence, } where is the mountain Tan the, on which a temple has 
been constructed ; food is conveyed to them by the help of asses, which go 
and return of themselves without the necessity of any guidance. 

“The history of the monasteries reports the journey of two natives of 
Thun houang (Sha cheou) named Soung yun tse and Hoei seng, who 
proceeded to the western lands. This kingdom is bounded on the north by 
the Onion mountains, and on the south by India. The climate is temperate. 
The country is several thousand li in extent, well peopled, and rich in pro¬ 
ductions. There is an isolated little hill, near a river whose waters are 
black, and the isle of the genii. The plains are very fertile. This is the 
dwelling place of Pi lo shi eul, where Sa tho abandoned his body. (This 
passage is mutilated ; at all events unintelligible.) 


CHAPTER Vtll. 


49 


41 Although in former times their manners were far from perfect, neverthe¬ 
less, following the example of the king, the people had made some advance 
in purity; they observed the fasts, lived on vegetables, and honored Foe 
morning and night: they beat the drum, sounded the conch, played on 
the guitar, the flute, and other wind instruments; and it was not till half 
the day had been so employed that they engaged in the affairs of the state. 
They never punished criminals with death, but exposed them on a barren 
mountain and there lefc them to seek their own means of sustenance. When 
any matter was involved in doubt, they appealed to drugs, and decided upon 
the evidence of these. 

11 The soil is good and fertile ; the inhabitants live amidst abundance. All 
the cereals flourish there ; and the five principal fruits, as well as many others, 
come to perfection. At night you hear the noise of bells which fills the 
air (literally, the world) on all sides. The richness of the soil gives birth to 
extraordinary flowers, which succeed in summer as well as in winter. The 
priests collect these as offerings to Foe. 

“ The king beholding the arrival of Soung yun, as envoy of the great 
kingdom of Wei, to salute him, and having received his credentials, asked 
Soung yun, if he were a native of the country where the sun rises ? “ To 

the east of our country,” replied Soung yun, “ there is a vast sea, from the 
bosom of which the sun rises ; such is the will of the Jou lai.” (latha- 
gata). The king again asked, “ Does that country abound in holy per¬ 
sonages ?” Soung yun then spoke of Ckeou koung , Confucius , Chouang tseu, 
Lao tseu; pointed out their virtues; discoursed of the mountain Pheng lai , 
of the gate of silver, the hall of gold, and the genii and the immortals who 
inhabit there ; he next came to the skilful astrologers and the diviners, to the 
physicians and the magicians ; treating of all these things separately and in 
order. When he had done, the king observed—” If it be as you say, then is 
your's the country of Foe, and we should during the whole term of our 
lives, honour its inhabitants.” 

“ Soung yun and Hoei seng then issued from the town in search of traces 
of the doctrine of the Jou lai. To the east of the river is the place where 
Foe dried his garments. When the Jou la! was travelling in the kingdom 
of Ou chang, he converted the king of the dragons. The latter, in his rage, 
raised a violent tempest. The Seng kia li of Foe was wet through and 
through with the rain. When the storm was passed, Foe, seated at the foot 
of the rock, dried his kia sha (a species of cape worn by Buddhist priests 
over the shoulders) in the sun. Although many years have elapsed since 
this happened, the spots and markings are as clear as if quite recent. You 
see not merely the distinct traces, but the very slightest impressions of the 


F 


50 PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 

threads. At the time of our visit it seemed as though they had scratched 
these lines. 

“ At the place where Foe sat, as well as at that where his garments were 
dried, they have erected towers to serve as a memorial of these events. 

“ To the west of the river is a tank, in which dwelt the king of the dragons ; 
at its side is a temple containing fifty ecclesiastics. The king of the dragons 
frequently performed miracles. The king of the country, to conciliate 
him, cast into the tank gold, and pearls, and precious stones, which the 
king of the dragons caused to be ejected, and commanded the monks 
to gather up again. The clothing and the food of the servants of the temple 
are supplied by the dragons. The inhabitants call it the temple of king of 
the dragons. 

“ To the north of the town, distant 18 li, there is a print of the foot of 
Joulai; they have erected a stone tower to enclose it. The place in the 
rock where the impression is, seems as if the print of the foot had been made 
in clay. Its measure is not determinate ; it is sometimes large and sometimes 
small. There are at present attached to the temple seventy ecclesiastics. 

To the south of the tower twenty paces, there is a spring issuing from a 
rock. Foe having purified himself, chewed the branch of a willow, and 
planted it in the ground : it has become a great tree, which the barbarians call 
Phou leou. 

•‘To the north of the town is the temple of Tho lo, where there are many 
worshippers of Foe. The Feou thou (pyramid or obelisk enclosing the 
sarira or relics of Buddha) is grand and lofty, but the cells for the monks 
are very contracted. There are sixty gilt statues around the temple. Every 
year the king holds a great assembly in this temple; all the Samaneans in 
the kingdom assemble like clouds. Soung yun and Hoe'i seng beheld these 
mendicants and admired their manners, their orderly conduct, and their pious 
austerities ; and gave up to them a male and a female slave to make wine- 
offerings and to sweep the temple. 

“ To the south-east of the town, at the distance of eight days’ journey is, 
the place among the mountains where Foe abandoned his body to a famished 
tiger. It is a very steep mountain, with precipices, caverns, and peaks that 
enter the clouds. The tree of happiness. Kalpa darn, and the mushroom, 
Ling chi, grow there in great plenty. The springs in the forest, and the 
agreeable mixture of flowers delight the eye. Soung yun and Hoe'i seng 
gave money to erect a statue in the Feou thou in front of the mountain, 
and engraved upon the rock an inscription in the li character, recalling the 
great actions of the Wei dynasty. On this mountain is the temple of the 
preserved gold, containing more than three hundred monks. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


51 


“ To the south of the town royal, at the distance of 500 li, is the place 
where Fo4, being in the country of Ma hieou used a portion of his skin for 
paper and one of his bones for a pencil. The king A yeou, erected a tower 
in that place ; it is ten chang high. At the place where the bone was re¬ 
moved, the marrow fell upon the stone, and you see the color of the grease 
and the oily spot as if it were quite recent! 

“ Five hundred li to the south of the royal city is the hill Shen chi , or 
C f good things: there are sweet springs and delicious fruits, of which 
mention is made in the legend. The hills and the valleys are pleasingly 
diversified; and the trees on the mountains preserve their green foliage 
during winter. The rich vegetation, the delightful temperature, the spring 
in its bloom, the butterflies like flattering flowers, produce an exquisite 
whole. In this seductive abode, so far from his own country, Soung yun 
was agitated by a thousand varying thoughts, and felt his heart throb with 
the emotions of olden times. He remained there a month, seeking from the 
Brahmans charms to appease him. 

“ To the south-east of this mountain is a stone house, called Me Prince s, 
having two chambers. Ten paces in front of the Prince’s house there is a 
square stone on which it is said the Prince was accustomed to sit. The 
king, A yeou , caused a tower to be built to consecrate the remembrance of 
the fact. To the south of the tower one li is the place where the cottage of 
the Prince stood. 

“ In descending the mountain, at fifty paces to the north-east, is the place 
where the Prince and the Princess walked round a tree without separating, 
and where the Brahmans flogged them so that their blood ran to the ground. 
This tree exists still, and preserves the drops of blood with which it was 
watered. There is a spring of water there. 

“ To the west of the house three li is the place where the king of Heaven, 
(Indra) changed himself into a lion and sat upon the road concealing Man 
yun . The traces of his hair, of his tail, and his claws exist to this day ; as 
also the place where A cheou tho Ichon, and his disciple offered food to their 
parents. In these various places there are towers to preserve the memory 
of these events. 

«• In the mountains are the beds of five hundred ancient Arhans. They 
are placed in rows from north to south, and on the spot where the Arhans 
sat facing each other. At the second row there are a great temple where 
two hundred monks reside, and the spring of water at which the Prince drank. 
To the north the temple is always surrounded by a great number of asses ; 
no one looks after them, and they go of themselves where they will. They go 
out at three in the morning, and at noon they eat. These are spirits who 

F 2 



52 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HI AN. 


guard the tower, as commissioned by the immortal Wo pho. There was for¬ 
merly in this temple a Sha mi, who was in the habit of throwing out 
the ashes, which by the will of the eight spirits, he attracted to himself. In¬ 
sensibly his skin shrivelled up and his bones separated. The immortal Wo 
pho, succeeded him in the function of carrying away the ashes. The king 
raised a temple to Wo pho , in which is his image covered with leaves of gold. 

“ Near a little defile is a temple of Pho kian, built by Ye cha, and contain¬ 
ing eighty ecclesiastics. It is said that the Arhan Ye cha frequently went there 
making offerings of wine, and sweeping, and gathering wood. Ordinary men¬ 
dicants cannot remain in this temple. We, Samaneans of the great Wei 
dynasty, had the glory to come thus far ; but we returned, not daring to 
remain. 

“ The third year Young phing, (510) at the ninth moon, the country of Ou 
chang sent tribute. In the fourth year, in the third moon, and in the tenth 
moon, there came another tribute from the same country. The same thing 
took place in the seventh intercalary moon of the first year Chin koue'i of Hiao 
ming ti (518) and in the fifth moon of the second year Ching kouang (521). 

“ Under the dynasty of the Thang, in the sixteenth year Ching kouan (642) 
there came ambassadors from Ou chang. There is no mention of this in the 
life of Tai soung; but we read the following in the notice of the Western 
Lands : “ Ou chha, also called Ou chang na, and Ou chang, is in the extreme 
south of India (an evident mistake for extreme north, as will be seen further 
on.) It is five thousand li in length. It borders on the east, with the country 
of Phouliu (Pourout) distant 500 li. To the west, at four hundred li, is Khi 
pin (Cophene ) Mountains and valleys alternate with each other. They pro¬ 
duce gold, iron, grapes, and the odoriferous plant yu kin. I^ice comes to 
maturity there at the end of a year. The inhabitants are weak, fraudulent, 
and much addicted to superstition and magic. They do not award capital 
punishment in this country ; criminals who deserve this penalty are banish¬ 
ed to desert mountains. When any doubts arise as to the guilt of the sup¬ 
posed criminal, these are dissipated by the administration of a medicinal 
drink, which distinguishes truth from falsehood. There are five towns ; the 
king dwells in that named Shou meng pe li, or otherwise called Meng kie li. 
To the north-east is the rivulet Tha li lo; this is the ancient country of Ou 
chang. In the sixteenth year Chhing kouan (642) the king Tha mo in tho 
po sse, sent ambassadors bearing camphor. An imperial rescript convey¬ 
ed to him the satisfaction produced by his conduct/’ 

We may observe that in passing the mountains to the north of the Pho lo 
tou lou, and proceeding 600 li you reach the tribe of Ou chang. The Thse 
fouyouan Kou'i then reports the letter of Tha mo in to ho sse :—“ The most 


CHAPTER VIII. 


53 


honourable sovereign, endowed with goodness and virtue, who reigns at 
once over the middle and the high, ascends the precious chariot of heaven, 
dissipates all darkness, and like the Lord Indra, is able to subdue the king 
of the A sieou lo (Asura). Your slave reposes at the root of your bounties, and 
as if he had obtained the living stock of Indra, salutes your most honourable 
person and offers you camphor.” The emperor was flattered by homage 
from so distant a land, and caused a benevolent answer to be sealed with 
his seal.” 

According to the Notice of Western Countries under the dynasty of the 
Thang , the country of Ou chang, was not more than five hundred li in cir¬ 
cumference. It is filled with mountains and valleys, succeeding each 
other, and streams and lakes connected at tbeir sources. Cereals are sown 
there but seldom arrive at perfection. There are plenty of grapes, but 
few sugarcanes. The soil produces iron and gold, and is suitable for the 
yu kin. The forests are extremely dense; and flowers and fruits are abun¬ 
dant. The climate is temperate, and wind and rain alternate regularly. 
The inhabitants are timid and cunning ; they love study, and transgress not 
the Law. Astrology is their habitual occupation. Their clothes are of 
white wool, and few possess garments of any other kind. Their language, 
although different, resembles that of In tou, as do their written character, 
their ceremonies, and their usages. They greatly honor the law of Foe, and 
their worship belongs to the great translation. On the river Souphofa 
sou thou, there were formerly fourteen hundred Kia lan, (monasteries) 
many have already fallen into ruin. In former times there were eighteen 
thousand ecclesiastics, but now their number has greatly fallen off. All 
study the great translation and yield themselves up to contemplation. They 
delight in the study of their scriptures, but understand not the occult sense 
thereof. The precepts are carried out in practice, and the conduct of the 
monks is pure. They observe the ceremonies, and the formulae of incantation 
are in use among them. We learn from tradition that there are five sects 
among them ; the first is that of Fa mi (silence of the law) the second, that 
of Houa ti (conversion of the world); the third, that of Yn kouang , or 
Kasyapa imbibed light) the fourth that of Shoue i thsi yeou ; and the 
fifth, that of Ta choung , or the multitude. At least ten temples are inhabit¬ 
ed pell-mell by the heretics. The towns are four or five in number. The 
king lives principally in Meng kie li, a town of sixteen or seventeen li in 
circumference. The population is very numerous. To the east of the 
town of Meng kie li is a great Son toupo, {stupa, tumulus, mound of earth) 
where a great number of divine wonders present themselves. When Foe 
was alive he installed in this place the immortal Jin jo, king of Ky li, 
F 3 


54 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HI AN. 


(This word signifies in Chinese, debate , discussion.) To cut the limbs * * * 
(lacuna in the text.) 

[Lassen (Zur Geschichte der Griechischen und Indoskythischen Konige, 
page 144) has given us the probable restoration of Men kie li, (called 
Meng ho li, by Hiuan thsang) in the Sanscrit word Mangala, ‘ fortunate/ 
—J. W. L.] 

“ To the north-east of the town of Meng kie li, some 250 or 260 li, you 
reach a great mountain and arrive at the fountain of the dragon A po lo lo, 
which, is the source of the river Sou pho fa sou thou. The waters divide in 
running towards the south-west. Summer and winter the cold is great; it 
snows morning and evening. In the midst of snow and rain there is a light 
of various colors which shines on all sides. 

“ The dragon A po lo lo, was born while Kia she pho Foe was among men. 
He bore the name of Keng khi, and being profoundly skilled in magic, he 
prevented, by his incantations, the formation of rain-storms by the dragons. 
The natives of the country confided in him, and offered him the superabund¬ 
ance of their harvests ; they were very grateful, and cherishing the remem¬ 
brance of this benefit, set apart, each house, one bushel of grain as an 
oblation. Some years afterwards, it so happened that they failed in this 
duty. Keng khi, wrath at this, resolved to become a venomous dragon. He 
raised a tempest of wind and rain, which destroyed the harvests, and which 
when he ordained it to cease, became this lagoon, and the fount of the dra¬ 
gon, whence flows a white water that destroys the fruits of the earth. Shy 
kia jou la'i, full of compassion for man, and governing the age, was touched 
with pity for the inhabitants of this country, who were exposed only to this 
single misfortune. He caused a spirit to descend for the conversion of this 
furious dragon ; he took a diamond sceptre in his hand and struck the side 
of the mountain. The king of the dragons was terror-struck and made his 
submission. He listened to the doctrine of Foe, purified his heart, and 
believed the law. Jou lai immediately interdicted his injuring the harvests 
thenceforward. The dragon replied, “ All those who eat, reckon on the 
fields of man ; this day I receive your holy instruction ; yet 1 fear that I can 
with difficulty secure myself against want. I entreat that every twelfth year 
one harvest he abandoned to me.” The Jou la'i had compassion upou him 
and granted it. It is thus that once in twelve years there is a disaster of 
the white water. 

“ To the south-west of the river of A po lo lo, about 30 li, there is a print 
of the foot of the Jou la'i upon a large stone. The size of it varies according 
to the fortune or the strength of beholders. It is an impression of his foot 
after he hud subdued the dragon. Men of subsequent times gathered together 



CHAPTER VIII. 


55 


stones in this place for the erection of a temple. From far and near they go 
thither to offer flowers and perfumes. In descending towards the river about 
30 li, there is a stone where Jou la’i washed his garments ; the marks of 
his kia ska, are as distinct as if they had been engraved. 

“ To the south of the town of Meng kie li, distant four li, are the 
mountain, and the valley of Hi lo. The river runs towards the west and 
turns back again to the east. Fiowers and rare fruits are carried along by the 
stream. The banks are steep, and the hills are separated by deep valleys, 
into which torrents precipitate themselves. Travellers sometimes hear 
amongst them the sound of voices, or cries, and that of musical instruments. 
The rocks are squared like a bed, as if they had been wrought by the hand. 
They stretch out and prolong themselves, following each other in succession. 
These valleys and escarpments are the place where Foe, having listened to the 
half of a poem, made the sacrifice of his person and his life. 

“ To the south of the town of Meug kie li, about two hundred li, is the 
monastery of the Ma ha fa na, (vana, Sanscrit; the great forest.) It is the 
place where the Jou lai performed the labours of Phou sa, and was surnamed 
the king of Fo tha tha fa Fan word which in Chinese signifies universal gift.) 
Flying from his enemies, and abandoning his kingdom he arrived at this 
place. He fell in with a poor brahman who besought him for alms ; having 
lost his kingdom and his rank, and having nothing therefore to bestow, he 
directed that himself should be bound and delivered to the king of his 
enemies, in order that the price given for him should serve for alms. 

“ On descending from the hills 34 li north-west of the monastery of Ma ha 
fa na, you come to the kia lan of Mo yu. (This word signifies in Chinese, 
bean.) There is a sthupa there two hundred feet high. Behind it on a 
large square stone, is the mark of the foot of the Jou la'i. Foe having stamped 
upon this stone, made the light keou chi shine from it and illumine the 
monastery Ma ha fa na; he related the adventures of his own birth in favour 
of men and Gods. At the foot of the sthupa there is a stone coloured white 
and yellow ; it always emits a greasy juice. In the times when Foe enacted 
the part of Phou sa, in order that they might understand the doctrine in 
this place, he broke one of his bones wherewith to indite the sacred books. 

“ Sivty or seventy li to the west of the monastery of Mo yu there is a Sthupa 
erected by the king Wou yeou. It was there that the Jou la'i, practising the 
actions of Phou sa, received the title of the king of Shi pi kia. (This Fan 
word signifies in Chinese to give; elsewhere Shi pi, is used for brevity.) 
He had prayed to Foe, and it was actually in this place that he hacked his 
own body to deliver it to the sparrow hawk instead of the pigeon. 

“ Two hundred li to the north of the place called ‘/or the pigeon, 1 you 



56 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HI AN. 


come to the rivulet Shan ni lo she , and arrive at the monastery Sa so sha 
ti, (This word signifies in Chinese, the medicine of the serpent .) There is 
a sthupa there more than eighty feet high. It was in this place that Jou 
la'i, when formerly Indra, met a crowd of starving and diseased people. 
The physicians could do nothing for them ; and those who died of hunger on 
the roads followed each other in uninterrupted succession. Indra, full of 
compassion for them, changed his form into that of a huge serpent. He 
summoned the corpses from the streams and the valleys ; hearing him, these 
all joyously began to flee and to run. He cured the famished and the sick. 

“ Not far, is the great sthupa of Sou ma. This is the place where the 
Jou la'i, when Indra, out of compassion for the infected, changed himself 
into the serpent Sou ma. Of all those who eat of it, there was not one that 
was not relieved. 

“ On the edge of the rocks north of the stream Shan ni lo she , there is a 
sthupa. The sick who go there are cured and guaranteed against many mala¬ 
dies. The Jou la'i , being formerly the king of the peacocks, came hither 
with his flock. Urged by heat and thrist, they searched for water, but no 
where found it. The king of the peacocks with one peck of his beak, struck 
the rock and caused water to issue, which immediately formed a lake. 
Those who drink of it are cured of their ailings. On the rock there is still 
the impress of a peacock’s foot. 

“ To the south-west of Meng hie li , sixty or seventy li, to the east of the 
great river, there is a sthupa about sixty feet high, raised by the king of the 
High Army. In former times, the Jou la'i, when on the eve of entering upon 
extinction, thus addressed all people: “ After my nirvana , the king of the 
High Army, of the kingdom of Ou chang na, shall divide a portion of my 
reliques among all princes, to establish equality.” When the king of the 
High Army was come, a consultation was held upon their value. Then 
the celestials and the crowd repeated the words of the prediction, and 
the command of the Jou lai. They divided the reliques, and each carried 
away his share to his own kingdom ; and in honor of them they erected 
this sthupa. On the bank of the great river there is a large stone of 
the form of an elephant. Formerly the king of the High Army placed the 
reliques on a large white elephant, and reached this place on his return. 
The elephant fell there and died ; he was changed into stone. At this place, 
they have constructed a sthupa. 

“ Forty or fifty li from Meng hie li, across the great river, you come to the 
sthupa Lou hi ta kia. (This word signifies red in Chinese : it is the San¬ 
scrit word lohitaka .) It is more than fifty feet high, and was erected by the 
king Wou yeou. Formerly the Jou lai, when Piiou sa, became king of a 


CHAPTER VIII. 


57 


I great kingdom, under the title Tseu li, (‘ power of goodness/) In this 
place he pierced his body and extracted the blood to feed live yo sha 
(Sanscrit, Yaksha, demons, who according to Hindu mythology, are specially 
! attached to the God of riches, and invested with the care of gardens and 
j treasures). 

“ To the north-east of the town of Meng kie li, 30 li, you come to a stone 
Sthupa named Ko pou to, (a word signifying ‘ unique wonder’) ; it is 40 feet 
high. In old time the Jou lai discoursed here upon the law in behalf of men 
and Gods, and opened the way to them. After he had departed, the crowd, 
afflicted at his departure, honored him by offering flowers and perfumes 
without interruption. 

“ To the west of the stone sthupa, on passing the great river, there is a 
temple containing an image of A fou lou chi ti she fa lo Phou sa. (This 
word signifies in Chinese, ‘ contemplating him who exists of himselfit is a 
Chinese transcript of the Sanscrit words Avalokiteswara Bodhisattwa ; that 
is the Bodhisattwa, the master who contemplates with love.) 

“ To the north-west of the statue of Phou sa contemplating the being who 
exists of himself , at the distance of 140 or 150 li, you come to the moun¬ 
tain Lan pho lou. On the summit of this mountain is the dragon’s tank, 
which is more than 30 li in circumference. The water is pure, and forms 
a transparent sheet like a clear mirror. 

“ To the north-east of Meng kie li, you pass the mountains and traverse the 
valleys, and ascend again the Sin tou. The road is perilous and steep ; the 
hills are lofty, the valleys deep and obscure. You walk along ropes, or on 
bridges of iron chains, or upon timbers, or on bridges constructed of spars 
joined together. You scramble thus more than 1000 li, and arrive at the 
! streamlet Tha lo li. It is here you find the ancient capital of Ou chang na- 
Much gold and the perfume yu kin is brought from it. Iu the stream Tha 
li lo, near to a great monastery, there is a statue of the beneficent 
Bodhisattwa, sculptured in wood ; it is of the colour of gold, splendid and 
majestic, and more than one hundred feet high. It was constructed by the 
! Arhan, Mo thian ti kia. He completed it after he had himself thrice beheld 
his marvellous perfections. Since the erection of this statue the law has 
spread considerably to the east. To the east of this point, traversing the 
hills and the valleys, ascending the Sin tou, crossing flying bridges, logs of 
timber, precipices, and marshes, and proceeding in all 500 li, you come to 
the country of Po lou lo (limit of northern India.)—R. 

Po lou lo is no doubt the Chinese transcription of Bolor ; an identifica¬ 
tion happily confirmed by Capt. A. Cunningham, who writes (J. A. S Vol. 
XVII. pp. 97, 98.) “ I have also been fortunate enough to discover another 





58 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA IITAN. 


point of much interest and importance in the comparative geography of the 
countries to the northward of Kashmir ; which is the identification of the 
ancient country of Bolor, with the present Bulti or Little Tibet. The 
Bolor mountains have occupied an uncertain position in our maps for a con¬ 
siderable period, which I am now able to define with precision. They are 
in fact that chain of mountains called Muztak, which forms the northern 
boundary of the district of Balti. Amongst the Dards who speak the Shina 
language, namely, in Hasora, Gilgit, Chilas, Darel, Kohli, and Palas, all 
lying along the Indus, Balti is known only by the name of Palolo. What 
renders this identification more striking and complete is the mention by 
Hiuan thsang in A. D. 640, that the kingdom of Po lou lo, “ produced 
much gold ;” a production for which Balti or Palolo is still celebrated, and 
which produces much of its revenue.”—J. W. L. 

(2) Central India. —Apparently Madhya desa , or the middle region. It 
is remarkable that according to Fa hian, they made use of the very language 
of Mid-India, in Oudyana. The original expression is singular, “ They 
employ altogether the language of Central India.”—R. 

I think it should be translated, fineinfecit linguae Indiae Mediae, or “ thus 
far extends the language of Mid-India.”—Kl. 

(3) The Central Kingdom ; in the text Choung koue. This is precisely 
the expression used to designate China ; and care is required in reading 
Buddhist narratives, to avoid confounding passages referring to China, 
with those intended to apply to Mathura, Magndha, and other kingdoms of 
central India. This mistake cannot occur in the work of Fa hian, who 
always speaks of his native land as that of the Han, Thsin, &c. dynasties. 
—See notes on Chap. XVI. 

(4) Less translation. —See notes to Chap. II. 

(5) Pi khieou, Chinese transcript of the Sanscrit word bhikshu mendi¬ 
cant, as Pi khieou ni is its feminine form bhikshum. This term is 
honorable, as applied to those who beg their subsistence from motives 
of devotion and humility. Those who have devoted themselves to this 
kind of life, have to practise twelve kinds of observances, named theou 
tho, from a Sanscrit word which signifies to shake one's-self because these 
observances help to clean away the dust and the foulness of vice. The 
mendicant should shun all causes of disturbance ; eschew vain ornaments ; 
destroy in the heart the germs of cupidity ; avoid pride, and in purifying 
his life, search for supreme reason, rectitude, and truth. The twelve 
observances which are recommended to them with this view, have reference 
to the four actions or manners of being, named Wei yi <gravity , or that 
which should be done gravely), namely, to walk, to staud, to sit, and to lie 


CHAPTER VIII. 


59 


down. The following is extracted from a book specially treating upon the 
twelve observances, and entitled Shi eul theou tho king.* 

1 st. —The mendicant should dwell in a place which is a lan jo, (aranyaka,) 
that is to say a tranquil place , a place of repose. This is the means of 
avoiding disturbance of spirit, of escaping the dust of desire, of destroying 
for ever all the causes of revolt, and of obtaining supreme reason, &c. 

2nd. —It is requisite that he always beg his subsistence (in Pali, pindapati- 
ka) in order to extinguish cupidity. The mendicant should accept no man's 
invitation. He should beg the nourishment necessary for the support of his 
material body and the accomplishment of his moral duties. He ought to 
recognize no difference in the food obtained, whether it be good or bad ; nor 
to feel resentment if it be refused him, but always to cultivate the equanimity 
of a perfect spirit. 

3rd.—In begging he should take his rank (in Pali, Yathapantari) without 
being attracted by savoury meats ; without disdain for any one, and without 
selection betwixt rich and poor; with patience should he take his rank. 

4th .—The mendicant who occupies himself with good works should thus 
reflect: “ It is much to obtain one meal; it is too much to make an early 
repast (breakfast) and a second (after midday.) If I do not retrench one of 
these, I shall lose the merit of half a day, and my spirit will not be entirely 
devoted to reason ” He therefore avoids multiplicity of meals, and adopts 
the custom of making but one (eka panika). 

5 th. —The food which the mendicant obtains shall be divided into three 
, portions ; one portion shall be given to any person whom he shall see suffer¬ 
ing from hunger; the second he shall convey to a desert and quiet spot, and 
there place it beneath a stone for the birds and the beasts. If the mendi¬ 
cant fall in with no person in want, he must not on that account himself 
eat all the food he has received, but two-thirds only. By this means his 
| body will be lighter and better disposed, his digestion quicker and less 
! laborious. He can then without inconvenience apply himself to good works. 
When one eats with avidity, the bowels and the belly enlarge, and the respira¬ 
tion is impeded; nothing is more injurious to the progress of reason. This 
fifth observance is called in Sanscrit khalupaswaddhaktinka. 

§th. _The juice of fruits, honey and other things of the same kind, ought 

never to be taken by the mendicant after midday. If he drink of these his 
heart abandons itself to desire, and becomes disgusted with the practice of 

virtue. 

7th —The mendicant ought not to desire ornaments; let him seek no 
sumptuous dresses, but take the tattered raiments that others have rejected, 
* San tsang fa sou B. XLIV. p. 10. 



60 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


wash and clean them and make of them patched garments only for protec¬ 
tion from cold, and to cover his nakedness. New and handsome vestures give 
rise to the desire of rebirth ; they disturb the reasoning, and they may more¬ 
over attract robbers. 

8 th. — Tra'ichivarika, or only three dresses. These words import that the 
mendicant should content himself with the kia sha, of nine, of seven, or 
of five pieces. He has few desires and is easily satisfied. He desires neither 
to have too much nor too little raiment. He equally eschews men dressed 
in white, who have numerous dresses, and those heretics who, from a spirit 
of mortification, go entirely naked, in defiance of all modesty : each extreme 
is contrary to reason. The three vestments hold the proper medium. More¬ 
over, the word kia sha signifies of divers colours , because of the pieces 
which form the vestment of the fii'st, second and third order. 

9th. — Smasanika, or the dwelling amid tombs, obtains for the mendicant 
just ideas of the three things which form the prime gate of the law of Foe; 
instability , or the brief duration of bodies which, composed of five elements, 
return to their originals and are destroyed ; pain , which oppresses the 
body from the moment of birth till that of death; and vacuity , since 
body is borrowed, formed by the reunion of the four elements, and subject 
to destruction. This is in fact the observation made upon this subject by 
Sakya Muni himself, who opened by it the road to supreme wisdom. By 
dwelling among tombs the mendicant beholds the exhibition of death and of 
funerals. The stench and the corruption, the impurities of every description, 
the funeral pyres, the birds of prey, awaken in him the thought of insta¬ 
bility, and hasten his progress in goodness. 

10th. — Vrikshamulika, or being seated under a tree. The mendicant who 
hath not attained wisdom amid the tombs, should go and meditate beneath a 
tree ; there let him seek for wisdom, as did Buddha, who accomplished under 
a tree, the principal events of his life; who was there born, who there com¬ 
pleted the doctrine, there turned the wheel of the law, and finally there 
attained his parinirvana. This is an effect of destiny. We learn besides 
that other Buddhas similarly placed themselves; and the tree is so con¬ 
nected with these supreme operations that the word bodhi, equally means 
the tree and the doctrine. 

lltfA.—To sit on the ground, abhyavakashika , is an additional advantage 
for the mendicant. Seated beneath a tree so as to be half covered by its shade, 
he enjoys the cool air. It is true that he is exposed to rain and moisture, 
that the droppings of birds soil him, and that he is exposed to the bite of 
venomous beasts ; but he also abandons himself to meditation; seated on the 
earth, his spirit is recreate ; the moon, in shining on him, seems to illumine his 
spirit; and he thus gains the power of more easily entering the extatic state, 


CHAPTER VIII. 


61 


Yltli.—NaishadhiJca, to be seated, not recumbent. The sitting posture is 
that best becoming a mendicant; his digestion and his respiration are more 
easy, and he thus more readily attains wisdom. Vices invade those who 
abandon themselves to idleness, and surprise them at disadvantage. Walk¬ 
ing and standing set the heart in motion, and the mind is at rest. The 
mendicant should take his rest seated, and should not allow his loins to 
touch the ground.” 

It appears to me that the foregoing extract from a work consecrated to 
the habits of Buddhist mendicants, would supply the reader with more cor¬ 
rect ideas of the sect than the repetition of what travellers have said upon 
the subject. The observances inculcated in the 8th paragraph may be 
noted as directly opposed to the manners of the digarnbaras, or gymnoso- 
phists.— R. 

(6) The dimensions of this impression vary. —The text says, sometimes 
long , sometimes short , this depends upon the thoughts of men. This passage 
might be supposed corrupted, if the same fanciful idea were not expressed 
in yet more precise terms by other Buddhist pilgrims who saw the same 
object in Udyana.—R. 

(7) The stone where his clothes were dried .—This event is detailed 
more fully by Soung yun. —R. 

(8) Na tie. —This is the Chinese transcription of Nayara (a town), as we 
are enabled to affirm with certainty from the more correct orthography of 
the same name by Hiuan thsang ; namely, Na ko lo ho. Lassen (Zur Ges- 
chichte, &c. pp. 139, 147) identifies this with the Nayapa of Ptolemy, and 

j establishes its position very satisfactorily in the immediate neighbourhood of 
Jellallabad. See uotes to Chap. XIII.—J. W. L. 

(9) The shadow of Foe. —Regarding this prodigy, one of the most absurd 
! mentioned in Buddhist legends, see notes of Chap. XIII.- R. 

(10) Fa hian in proceeding to the south, traversed the country of Udyana 
for a distance which he has omitted to record, but which, to judge from the 
sequel, must have been very considerable. It must not be forgotten that he 
remained to the west of the Sind, in countries usually comprehended in 
Persia, but which then formed part of India, and which are, in fact, interme¬ 
diate betwixt both, and distinct from each by the character of their popula¬ 
tion as well as their geographical position. It was there that he found a 
petty state, Su ho to, otherwise wholly unknown.—R. 

See next Chapter, note 1.—J. W. L. 





G 






G2 


V1LGRIMAGE OF FA 11 IAN. 


CHAPTER IX. 


The kingdom of Su ho to. 

Equally flourishing is the law of Foe in the kingdom of Su 
ho to. 1 In former times. Shy , 8 the celestial emperor, put the Phou 
sa 3 to the test. He changed himself into a hawk and a dove . 4 
[The Phou sa] tore his flesh to redeem the dove. After Foe had 
accomplished the law, he passed by this place with his dis¬ 
ciples, and said to them “ Behold the place where formerly I 
tore my flesh to redeem the dove !” The people of the country 
learnt in this way of that adventure, and erected on the spot a 
tower enriched with ornaments of gold and of silver. 


NOTES. 

(1) The kingdom of Su ho to. —The form of this name would seem to 
establish its Indian origin; but it is elsewhere wholly unknown. All that is 
known of the country so called is that it lies to the south of Udyana, and 
five days’ journey to the west of the Gandhara of Fa hian. The fabulous 
adventure here recorded may enable us to recover its Sanscrit name ; but 
there can be no doubt that the latter has long disappeared in the country 
itself under Persian and Muhammadan influence.—R. 

In the Savat, Sewad, Swat, of the Ay in Akbari, and of our modern 
maps we have the restoration of Su ho to, the valley of the Suasius of 
the ancients, the Suvastu of the Hindus, and the Sou pho fa sou tou of 
Hiouan thsang’s itinerary. The boundaries of this kingdom at the time 
of Fa hiau’s transit cannot now be determined. Wilson (J. R. A. S. 
Vol. V. p. 116) remarks that in the time of Baber the kingdom of Swat or 
Suvat extended on both sides of the Indus.—J. W. L. 

(2) Shg, the celestial emperor. —Indra is thus designated in Chinese 
Buddhistical works when his name, In tho lo , is not itself transcribed.* He 


* San tsang fa sou, Book XLVI. p. 11. 



CHAPTER IX. 


63 


is also called Ti shy , the Lord of the Gods, and Shy ti houan in, (apparent¬ 
ly S'hatamanyu,) which signifies in Sanscrit the powerful king of the Gods.* 
We have seen that according to the order of Buddhist divinities, Indraisthe 
Lord of the Trayastrinsha, or the abode of the thirty-three Gods, the second 
in ascending of the Bhuvanas in the world of desire. In Tibetan he is de¬ 
signated d Vang-po, Lord, and has many other denominations which are 
merely epithets. In Mongolian he is called Khormusda, and this name, cou¬ 
pled with the circumstance of the thirty-three Gods of whom he is chief, 
was with Mr. Schmidt, the occasion of a curious comparison with Hormuzd 
and the thirty-two Amshaspands. It is difficult to object to this analogy, 
and yet more so to explain it, seeing that the Mongolian nomenclature is its 
only ground, not a trace of such analogy being found among the Hindus, 
who more than any other people of Asia were likely to influence, or to be 
influenced by, the Persians.—R. 

(3) Phou sa; —Bodhisattwa. What is here said of Sakya Muni, refers to 
a previous existence, in which he had attained the rank of Bodhisattwa only. 
Personages of this order are distinguished during life by their extreme good¬ 
ness, by universal benevolence, and by a self-abandonment which impels 
them to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of all other creatures, as in the 
present instance.—R. 

(4) He transformed himself into a hawk and a dove. This double 
transformation is by no means inconsistent with Buddhistical notions. The 
Gods and the saints could assume several forms at once, or could create 
several simultaneous appearances of them ; and this is what the Chinese 
expression signifies.—R. 

The legend here alluded to, as well as those of the starving tiger, of the 
breaking of his bone for a pen and the shedding of his blood for ink, &c., 
belongs to an anterior existence of Sakya, “ immeasurably distant ages ago,” 
and may be found in the Q#c;<V ? Q (H dsangs b lun), an elegant edition 
of which in Tibetan and German was published at St. Peterburgh in 1843, 
by M. I. J. Schmidt. In that work, however, the double transformation 
mentioned in the text is not alluded to : but Viswakarma personates the 
dove and Indra the hawk. Professor Wilsonf seems to think that the 
legend is derived from Brahmanical sources ; and states that it is told at 
some length in the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata of king Usiuara, whose 
charity was similarly tested by Indra, on which occasion the dove was pet- 
sonated by Agni, the God of fire. The spirit of the legend appears to me, 
however, to be thoroughly Buddhist.—J. W. L. 

* San tsang fa sou, B. XXXIII. p. 4. 

f Journal Royal As. Soc. Vol. V. p. 116. 

G 2 





64 


pilgrimage of fa hian. 


CHAPTER X. 


The kingdom of Khian tho wei. 

They descended from Su ho to towards the east; they were five 
days on the road, and arrived at the kingdom of Khian tho ivei . 1 
Here reigned Fa «, 8 the son of A yu . 3 In the times when Foe was 
P/iou sa , 4 he gave his eyes in alms in this country. Herein like 
manner, they have erected a great tower with ornaments of gold 
and silver. Amongst the inhabitants of this kingdom many are 
devoted to the study of the less translation. 

NOTES. 

(1) The kingdom of Khian tho wei. —We are tempted to take this as the 
name of the province of Gandhava , recently introduced in our maps.* But 
the opinion of a Chinese author who visited these countries subsequently to 
Fa hian, and who has endeavoured to rectify the errors of his predecessors in 
transcribing Geographical names, would lead us to consider this as a corrup¬ 
tion of the well known name Khian tho lo. Now this latter is evidently the 
Gandari of Strabo ;f the Gandhara of the Puranas.J the Kandahar of Mus¬ 
sulman Geographers, and has finally attached itself to a celebrated town. 
The remote western position of this town must not be held as an exception 
to an incontestible synonyme. Many witnesses, amongst whom we must 
place the Chinese Geograpers of the dynasty of the Thang, testify that 
before the Muhammadan invasion the Gandharas formed a powerful and 
extensive state to the west of the Indus. We possess in the Chinese collec¬ 
tions, a detailed description of this state, two centuries posterior to the Foe 
koue ki. Many most important Buddhist traditions had currency at this 
period among the Gandharas and neighbouring small states ; some of them 
refer to the acts of Foe, in the time when he was Bodhisattwa, that is, as 
has been observed before, at one of the periods of his history which my tho' 
logy places antecedent to his real life.—R. 

* Pottinger’s Travel’s in Beluchistan. t Lib. XV. 

t Ward, Voi. I. p. 11. 



CHAPTER X. 


65 


This identification of Kiati tho wei, with the Gandhara of the Hindus is 
no doubt correct; but Su ho to, be the country watered, by the Punjkora 
or Suwat river, Fa hian’s easterly route must have taken him in an oppo¬ 
site direction from Kandahar. The position of the Gandhdras , is by no 
means difficult of determination. In the Vdyu Purana, the Sindhu is stat¬ 
ed to flow through the Daradas, Kasmiras , Gandhdras , Yavanas , 8fc. 
(Wilford, As. Res. Vol. VIII. p. 331). “ The Gandaritis of Strabo, says 

Wilson (Hist, of Kashmir), which furnishes an approximation to the Gandarii 
of Herodotus, is placed nearer even to the Indus than the modern city of 
Candahar ; he observes it is watered by the Choaspes which falls into the 
Cophenes : he has also a Gandaris, which he places between the Hydraotis 
(Ravi) and the Hydaspis (Beyah), and consequently towards the eastern 
part of the Punjab. Ptolemy only notices the first position, bringing it 
rather more to the west, unless as Salmasius conjectures, his Suastus be 
the Cophenes of Strabo, and making the Indus the eastern boundary of the 
Gandari: Inter Suastum et Indum sunt Gandari a definition which 
corresponds with our pilgrim’s position very well. 

For further information on this subject the reader may consult Wilson, 
Ariana Antiqua , and the admirable dissertation of Lassen Zur Gesehichte 
der Griech. und Indoskyth. Kdnige. , p. 143.—J. W. L. 

(2) Fa i, —This appears to be a significant name; meaning extension of 
the law. It may be a translation of the Sanscrit name Bharma vardhana , 
which was borne by several Indian princes. According to this tradition, the 
son of the king of Magadha, reigned in the country of Gandhara. This his¬ 
torical point might be settled by the examination of Sanscrit works, which, 
judging from extracts quoted by Wilson,* might furnish other proofs of some 
connexion betwixt Magadha and Gandhara at an early period of Indian 
history.—R. 

Wilson has observed that the name Bharma Varddhana no where occurs 
in the catalogues of Indian princes.—J. W. L. 

(3) A yu. —This king is more frequently designated Won yu. His San¬ 
scrit name is more accurately transcribed A shou kia (Asoka, sorrowless.) 
He was the great-grandson of king Ping cha , or Pinpo so lo (Bxmbasara,) 
of whom more will be said hereafter, and flourished a century subsequent to 
the nirvana of Sakya Muni. In Mongolian he is called Khasoloung ougei, t 
a word of the same signification, which however Mr. Schmidt has failed to 
recognise. As the foundation of nearly all the religious edifices in ancient 
India is attributed to this sovereign, and referred to the 116 year after the 

% Mudra Rahshasa , preface, p. 11. 

t Gesehichte der Ost-Mongolen, p. 16. 

G 3 




66 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


nirvana, the 9th year of the Regency Koung ho,* 833 B. C., we have here a 
synchronism of the utmost importance ; and as it is grounded upon an epoch 
in the reign of Asoka, to which frequent reference will be made in the course 
of this narrative, we 9 hall have occasion to recur more than once to the 
history of this monarch. We may particularly notice what Hiouan Thsang 
says of him in his description of Magadha.—R. 

The mention of the son of Asoka, as having reigned in this kingdom is a 
circumstance of great importance to Indian history. The Raja laringini 
(Book I. si. 1. p.) mentions an Asoka as king of Kashmir ; but in no part 
of the slight account there given of him do we discern any circumstance 
calculated to identify him with the Asoka of Magadha, save that of his con¬ 
version to Buddhism. He is described as the great-grandson of Sakum, 
son of the paternal uncle of Sachinara ; no notice is taken of either Chan - 
dragupta or Bimhdsara. Yet the impression on our pilgrim s mind is 
evidently that the Asoka whose son formerly ruled in this kingdom, was the 
famous patron of Buddhism in Magadha. Had it been otherwise he would 
scarcely have introduced an allusion so irrelevant and uninteresting as this 
would then be. Professor Wilson (History of Kashmir , As. Res. Yol. XV. 
p. 20) seems inclined to treat the Asoka of Kalhana, as an ideal personage. 
It will be observed that Fa hian speaks of the son of Asoka only (named 
Jaloka in the Raja Taringini) as having reigned in Kian tho *wei , and not 
Asoka himself. That the latter had great power and influence in Gandhara , 
we have good evidence in his fifth Edict as translated by James Prinsep, in 
which he appoints ministers of religion to that country. (J. A. S. Vol. VII. 
p. 252.) Without being able to solve the difficulties of the case, historical 
and critical, I incline to think that our Chinese authorities can hardly be 
wrong on such a point. Asoka himself, according to the Mahavansa, reigned 
in Ujjain previous to his accession to the throne of Magadha.—J. W. L. 

(4) In the time when Foe was Phou sa ,—that is, in one of those states of 
existence which we recognise as anterior to his historical existence, in which 
Sakya Muni had already attained the highest point of moral and intellectual 
perfection, and acquired the rank of Bodhisattwa. This portion of the 
legend being but little known, and forming as it were the introductory 
scene of the life of Buddha, I proceed to give an extract from a sermon 
preached by Sakya Muni, in the kingdom of Kapila, in the chapel of the 
Sakya family, under a tree of the species nyagrodha (ficus religiosa ), at 
which were present, twelve hundred and fifty great mendicants all of the rank 
of Arhans, five hundred female mendicants, an infinite number of Updsika 
and Upasiki (faithful of either sex) of brahmans ; the four kings of Heaven, 
* Wa kan kwo to fen nen gakf oun-no tsou. B. I. p. 17 v. 


CHAPTER X. 


67 


the king of Trayastrinsha (Indra), Yama, the gods of Tushita, the god 
Nimalothi, the god Pho lo ni mi, Brahma, and the gods also of Aganish- 
ta, with the princes of the Nagas, of the Asuras, of the Kia lieou lo, of the 
Chin tho lo, of the Ma hieou le, &c.; and, the king Pe tsing, the king 
Wou nou, the king Wou youan, the king Kau lou tsing, and nine hundred 
thousand grandees and magistrates of the kingdom of Kapila, who were 
all assembled to do honor to Sakya, in his recently recognised rank of Bud¬ 
dha. Maha mou kian lian , one of the favorite disciples of Sakya, was he 
who elicited the account of the antecedent fortunes of the latter delivered the 
following discourse, of which I limit myself to the transcription of the most 
prominent circumstances only.* ‘‘My real life has extended over innu¬ 
merable Kalyas. I was at first but an ordinary man, searching for the 
doctrine of Buddha. My soul received a material form in passing by the 
five ways. M^hen one body was destroyed, I obtained another. The num¬ 
ber of my births and deaths can only be compared with the number of 
plants and trees in the entire universe. The bodies I have possessed cannot 
be reckoned. That period of time which comprises the beginning and the 
end of heaven and earth, is called a Kalya; and I cannot myself relate the 
renewals and the destructions of heaven and earth that I have witnessed. 
The causes of painful emotions are earthly passions. I was a long time 
floating on, and as it were immersed in the ocean of desires ; but I strove 
to trace these to their source : such was the object of my efforts, and thus 
I succeeded. Anciently, in the time of the Buddha Ting kouang (“ light of 
the vase,” Dipankara) there was a holy king named Teng shing (“ abundance 
of lamps”) who reigned in the country of Thi ho ’wet. His subjects were 
favoured with great longevity, and lived in the exercise of piety and justice. 
Their land was fertile, and they enjoyed profound peace. It was then that 
the prince Teng kouang was born ; a prince endowed with peerless facul¬ 
ties. The holy king, who loved him, perceiving the approach of old age, 
would have resigned to him the kingdom ; but the prince yielded in favor of 
his younger brother, embraced a religious life, founded the Samanean doc¬ 
trine, and became Buddha. He traversed the whole world at the head of a 
band of numberless disciples. When he returned to the kingdom of Thi ho 
>wei, to convert his family and the grandees of the country, the latter were 
alarmed at the multitude of his followers, and were about to oppose his 
progress by a great army. The Buddha, by means of the six supernatural 
faculties he enjoyed, penetrated their design, raised a strong and lofty 
wall, and then a second, and rendered these walls transparent as glass, so 
that six hundred and twenty thousand bhikshus, all equal to Buddhas, 

* From the Sieou king pen hei king , quoted in Shin i tian ,Book LXXVII. p. 8. 


<58 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


were seen through them. The king saw his error ; the Buddha was adored, 
and preparations were made for a mighty festival for his reception. For the 
space of 40 li the roads were made smooth, and watered with perfumed 
water; and tents and pavilions were erected, all adorned with gold and 
silver and precious stones. The king advanced to meet the Buddha, and 
the latter commanded the bhikshus to acknowledge the honors he received. 
Whilst this was enacting, there was a young Fan chi scholar (Brahmachari) 
named ‘ Spotless lightfrom his youth upward he had given indications of 
superior intelligence. His soul was already opened to the most rare know¬ 
ledge. Retired amongst forests and mountains, he led a pure life, given up 
to contemplation, studying the scriptures; and there was nothing that he did 
not thoroughly understand. He had converted many, and among the rest, a 
Brahmachari named Pou tsi tho, who served in a great temple, where through¬ 
out the year he performed ceremonies and sacrifice. The band of his dis¬ 
ciples, amounting to eighty thousand, brought him at the end of the year, 
gold of the Dakshin, silver, precious stones, chariots, horses, sheep, rich 
dresses, stuffs, elegant shoes, canopies enriched with pearls, staves of 
brass (for the use of the mendicants) and ewers. The most able and 
the most intelligent are entitled to all these treasures. Seven days had 
not elapsed ere the young Bodhisattwa entered this company. He preached 
seven days and seven nights. His audience was enraptured, and more than 
all their chief, who wished to present the Bodhisattwa with a virtuous girl ; 
but the Bodhisattwa would accept nothing but an umbrella, a staff, a ewer, 
some shoes, and a thousand pieces of money. He restored all the rest 
to the master, who desired, at any rate, to share it with him; but the Bodhi¬ 
sattwa still refused ; and when on parting from his disciples, distributed to 
each a piece of money. Proceeding on his journey he came to a land the 
inhabitants of which seemed joyously making preparations on all sides 
for festivals. He enquired the cause of these festivals, and was inform¬ 
ed that Ting kouang was coming to receive the homage of the people. The 
young Bodhisattwa leapt for joy on learning the advent of the Buddha, and 
asked what homage they were to pay him ? “ Nothing but offerings of 

flowers, they replied; perfumes, woollen stuffs, and flags.” He hastened to 
the town ; but the king had forbidden the sale of flowers for seven days to 
reserve enough for the ceremonies ! The Bodhisattwa felt deeply mortified 
at this disappointment; but the Buddha penetrated the intentions of the 
young man. A girl happened to pass with a pitcher full of flowers : the 
Buddha illumined it with a ray of light; the pitcher became transparent as 
glass, and the Bodhisattwa, having bought the flowers, went away de¬ 
lighted. 


CHAPTER X. 


69 


“The Buddha arrived, an immense multitude accompanying him and 
forming around him many thousand times a hundred rows. The Bodbisat- 
twa strove to approach and scatter his flowers, but was unable. The Buddha, 
perceiving his efforts caused a great number of men of clay to arise from the 
earth and assist him in penetrating the throng. The Bodhisattwa then 
threw forward five flowers, which remained suspended in the air and formed a 
canopy seventy li in circumference. Two other flowers fixed themselves on 
the shoulders of the Buddha, as if they had there taken root. The delighted 
Bodhisattwa spread his hair upon the ground and entreated the holy person¬ 
age to tread upon it. After sundry compliments and fresh solicitations, the 
Buddha complied. There then issued from his smiling lips two rays of light 
of different hues, which separating at the distance of seven feet, thrice encir¬ 
cled his person ; one of these then illumined the three thousand millions 
of worlds without omitting one, and returned to the vertex (of the saint) ; the 
other penetrated to the eighteen infernal regions and for a moment suspend¬ 
ed the tortures of the damned. The disciples asked the Buddha, to explain 
the reason of that smile. “You see this young man, he replied; the 
Honorable of the Age announces to you, that the purity he has striven to 
attain during an infinite number of kalpas, in subjecting his heart, sur¬ 
mounting fate, and expelling his passions, hath obtained for him, from the 
present time, that supreme void which results from the accumulation of vir¬ 
tues, and which shall accomplish his desires.” Then turning to the young man, 

4 In a hundred kalpas, continued the Buddha, thou shalt become Buddha ; 
thou shalt be called Shy kia wen , (the pious, the humane). The name of the 
kalpa in which thou shalt appear shall be Pho tho , (wise) ; the world shall be 
called Sha fou. Thy father shall be Pe tsing , thy mother Ma ye, thy wife 
Kieou i, thy son Lo. Thy companion shall be Anan, thy right hand disciple 
She li foe, they left Maha mote Man Han. Thou shalt instruct the men of the 
five great worlds ; thou shalt save the ten parts, in all respects like myself ” 
Thereupon Bodhisattwa the Pious, whom this announcement overwhelmed 
with joy, lost the faculty of thought and fell into an extasy ; while his body 
at the same moment was raised in the air and continued suspended at the 
height of fifty-six feet from the earth. He then came down and prostrated 
himself at the foot of the Buddha. He thenceforth became a Samanean, and 
when the Buddha preached the law, Bodhisattwa the Pious assisted. When 
Ting koung attained nirvana, this Buddha received the precepts and maintained 
the law in all its purity. He never ceased the practice of goodness, huma¬ 
nity. charity, and all the virtues. When he died, he was reborn in Tushita ; 
but as he ever longed to save those who continued in blindness and darkness, 
he descended in the form of the King turning the Wheel, (Chakravurti) the 


70 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


'emperor who walks flying.* He was the owner of the seven treasures, each more 
precious than the other ; the golden wheel, the divine pearls, the perfect 
wife (of jasper), the all-accomplished minister, a well disciplined army, the 
mane of a purple horse bedecked with pearls, and the equally graced tail of 
a white elephant.” See XVII. 12. 

“ The age of man was at that time, eighty-four thousand years. He had 
in his palace eighty-four thousand wives. A thousand sons were born to him, 
all so brave and virtuous that each was equal to a thousand (ordinary men). 
The holy king reigned with the utmost wisdom, and caused virtue to flourish. 
He established peace throughout the universe. Wind and rain came at the 
fit moment for ripening the crops ; and whoever eat of the latter experi¬ 
enced no sickness. Their savour was as a sweet dew, and ensured perfect 
health. There were but seven infirmities or imperfections; cold, heat, hung¬ 
er, thirst, the two natural necessities, and the cravings of the spirit. When 
the holy king had fulfilled his time, he ascended to the heaven of Brahma and 
became Brahma. The duration of the life of a Brahma, is two regenerations 
of the world, or two thousand six hundred and eighty-eight millions of years. 
In heaven, he was Indra. The life of an Indra, is a thousand years, of which 
each day is equal to one hundred of our years; or thirty six millions five 
hundred thousand years. Upon earth he was a holy king. These vicissi¬ 
tudes occurred thirty-six times; when again he experienced a desire to save 
men, and at an appropriate time, became once more Bodhisattwa. In sub¬ 
jection to pain he passed three Asankya of kalpas (three hundred quad¬ 
rillion times sixteen million eight hundred thousand years). At the end of 
this time he longed to display his commiseration for all sufferers, and to turn 
the wheel in favor of all living beings. He abandoned his body to a hungry 
tiger, and passed nine kalpas devoted to the greatest efforts. In the 
ninety-one kalpas remaining (from the time of the Buddha, Ting kouang) 
he applied himself to the study of reason and virtue ; introduced himself to 
the thoughts of Buddha, practised the six means of salvation, and united in 
his heart the truth of alms (dana), the observation of the precepts (Sila), the 
salutary confusion (Kshanti), and holy activity (virya), with transcendental 
knowledge, (prajna) and subtlety (upaya). He accustomed himself to treat all 
living beings with the tenderness he would manifest to a new-born babe. Lastly, 
he acquired all the virtues of a Buddha ; so that having in the course of those 
kalpas traversed the ten earths (or stations for unification)f with this endea¬ 
vor, he found himself arrived at that point in his existence called ckavtchika, 
when the soul has but one more obstacle to surmount in the attainment of 

* L’empereur qui marche en volant, is the original of this absurd expression, 

t Vocabulaire pentaglotte. Sect. XI. 


CHAPTER X. 


71 


supreme intelligence His merit being then complete, and the immense 
circle of divine prudence having been entirely traversed, it remained for him 
to descend and become Buddha. 

11 He prescribed to himself in the heaven Tushita four subjects of contem¬ 
plation ; the country where he should be born, the parents from whom he (/ 
in the text) should receive birth, and all that was requisite for the instruction 
and the conversion he projected. I knew beforehand (continued Sakya, 
speaking henceforward in the third person) that it was the king Pe tsing that 
should be my father in the present age. Kieou ii sha ti, had two daughters, 
who were then bathing in a tank, in the ladies’ garden. The Bodhisattwa 
stretched forth his hand and said, “ Behold the mother that shall bear me in 
the age.” When the time of my birth was come there were five hundred Fan 
chi, all enjoying the five supernatural faculties, who passed flying over the 
walls of the palace without the ability to penetrate them. Struck with as¬ 
tonishment they said to each other ; “ our divine faculties enable us to pass 
through walls; how is it that we cannot penetrate these ?” The master of the 
Brahmacharis replied ; “ See you these two damsels ? One of them shall give 
birth to the great man, possessor of the thirty-two lakshana (corporeal beau¬ 
ties) and the other shall nurse this same great man. This divine and formi¬ 
dable being is about to deprive us of our supernatural faculties.” This 
news spread rapidly through the universe. The king Pe tsing , transported 
with joy and longing that the emperor who walks flying should be born in his 
house, sought the young girl in marriage ; and came to receive her as his 
bride. The pious Bodhisattwa, mounted upon a white elephant, approached 
his mother’s womb, and selected for his birth the eighth day of the fourth 
moon. The matron having bathed and perfumed herself, was reposing, when 
she beheld in a dream a white elephant shedding light throughout the uni¬ 
verse. A concert of vocal and instrumental music was heard, flowers were 
scattered, and perfumes burnt. When the cortege, which traversed the at¬ 
mosphere, approached above her, all suddenly disappeared. She awoke 
alarmed, and when the king asked the cause of her alarm, she narrated the 
circumstances of her dream. The king, disquieted in his turn, consulted 
the augurs, and was re-assured. “ This dream,” said they, “ is the forerunner 
of your happiness, oh king ! it announces that a holy spirit hath entered the 
womb (of the princess). Of this dream she shall conceive, and the son she 
shall give birth to shall be in your house (as prince) the emperor that walks 
flying , turning the wheel and out of your house (i. e. as an ascetic) he 
shall study the Law, become Buddha, and deliver the ten parts of the world. 
The king was enraptured with this assurance; the matron experience its 
salutary influence on mind and body. The princes of the petty neighbouring 


72 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIA N. 


states, learning that the king’s wife had conceived, came to pay her homage ; 
each of them brought tribute of gold, of silver, of pearls, of precious cloth, 
of flowers, and of perfumes ; expressed their respect, and invoked a thousand 
blessings. The matron extended her hand and declined their gifts with civi¬ 
lity. After the matron’s conception the Gods presented her with the most 
savoury viands; a subtle vapor nourished her, superceding the necessity of all 
recourse to the royal kitchen. At the end of the tenth month the body of 
the prince being entirely formed, on the 8th day of the fourth moon, the 
matron went forth, passed through the throng, and placed herself beneath a 
tree. The flowers expanded, and a brilliant star appeared. 

Here I interrupt the legend at the point where this holy personage begins 
an existence, during which he attained the rank of Buddha. Many particulars 
of his latter career will be found in subsequent notes; but we may here 
remark that the name of Bodhhattwa , is still applied to Sakya in relating the 
adventures of his terrestrial life previous to the time of his attaining Buddha- 
hood; that is, up to his thirtieth year (see XII. 2.) —R. 

(5) This proof of the charity of Buddha is spoken of in the other narra¬ 
tives.—R. 


CHAPTER XI. 


The kingdom of Chu sha shi lo.—The starving Tiger. 

At the distance of seven days’ journey to the east of Kian tho 
viei, there is a kingdom named Chu sha shi lo. The word sig¬ 
nifies in Chinese the Severed Head. 1 Foe. while he was Phou 
sa * bestowed his head 8 in alms at this place; and hence they 
gave this name to the country. 

Further to the east you arrive at the spot where Foe aban¬ 
doned his body to a starving tiger . 4 In these two places they 
have erected great towers, embellished with all manner of pre¬ 
cious things. The kings of-‘those countries, the grandees, and 
the people, all vie with each other in the performance of their 
devotions at this place ; they never intermit the scattering of 
dowers and the burning of perfumes. These towers, and the 





CHATTER XI. 


73 


other two spoken of above, are called by the people of the coun¬ 
try the Four Great Towers .* 

NOTES. 

(1) Chu sha shi lo, apparently chyutasira, a Sanscrit word, having pretty 
nearly the signification indicated by Fahian : the sibilant replacing the dental 
of the second syllable in the Chinese transcription. We have already seen 
this substitution, and will meet with it again. It is not to be wondered at that 
a denomination founded upon such an adventure should disappear with 
Buddhism itself from the locality. Our information does not enable us to 
determine the position of this country with exactness; it should be not far 
from Sorawak and the present district of Sarawan.—R. 

The place here named Chu sha shi lo by Fa hian is evidently identical 
with that called Tan cha shi lo in the itinerary of Hiouan thsang, where 
the mention of a monastery of the alms gift of the head places this point 
beyond all doubt. The latter name at once recalls the Takshasila of the 
Puranas and the Taxila of the ancients. Taksha and Pushkara were sons 
of Bharata, according to the Vishnu Parana (Wilson's Translation, p. 385,) 
and are stated in the Vayu to have been sovereigns of Gandhara residing at 
Takshasila and Pushlcar avail. The situation of Chu sha shi lo, seven days 
journey eastward from Kian tho wei, corresponds very well with the position 
of Manikyala. That village (now so celebrated for its tope) is situated on 
the ruins of a very ancient town, which from its extent and position, and 
the abundance of ancient coins found in the neighbourhood, may with much 
probability be assumed to have been the Taxila of the Greek historians. 
For further information on the subject of Manikyala and its relics, the 
reader is referred to the Journal of the Asiatic Society for 1834.—J. W. L. 

(2) When Foe was Phou sa; (See X. 4.) 

(3) His head in alms .—This circumstance, as well as that of the alms¬ 
giving of his eyes, before alluded to, is found among the legends collected 
by Hiouan Thsang.—R. 

(4) Abandoned his body to a starving tiger.—(See Chap. X. note 4.) 
Formerly Buddha, when prince, under the name of Sa tho ( Sattwa ) was 
walking among the hills ; he beheld a tiger perishing of hunger,. and cast his 

own person before it to save its life.*—R. 

(5) The four great towers, —to wit, that of Su ho to, where the Bodhisattwa 
rescued the dove at the expense of his own flesh ; that of Gandhara , or of the 
almsgiving of his eyes ; and the two spoken of in the present chapter.—R. 

* San tsang fa sou, B. XXXVIII. p. 1 v • 

H 


74 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


CHAPTER XII. 


The Kingdom of Foe leou sha.—The pot of Foe. 

Proceeding to the south four days’ journey from the kingdom 
of Kian tho wei , you arrive at the kingdom of Foe leou sha. 1 In 
days of old, Foe, when passing through this country with his dis¬ 
ciples, addressed A nan 2 and said—“ After my pan ni houan , 8 
there shall be a king named Ki ni kiaf who shall raise a tower 
on this spot.” Accordingly, the king Ni kia having appeared 
in the world, betook to travelling ; and as he passed through 
this country, Shy, the celestial emperor, 5 sought to awaken a 
thought within him. He produced a young cow-herd erecting 
a tower on the road. The king asked him, “What doest 
thou?” He replied, “I am building a tower to Foe.” The 
king praised him highly, and caused a tower to be erected over 
that of the young cow-herd. This tower is more than forty 
toises 6 high, and is adorned with all manner of precious things ; 
all who behold it and the temple, admire their beauty and 
magnificence, to which nothing can be compared. Fame reports 
this tower superior to all the others of Yan feou thi. 1 When 
the king’s tower was completed, the smaller tower appeared to 
the south of the large one, about three feet high. 

The pot of Foe 8 is in this kingdom. In former times the 
king of the Yue ti 9 raised a powerful army and invaded this 
country. He longed to possess the pot of Foe. When he 
had subjected the kingdom, the king of the Yue ti , who was 
firmly attached to the Law of Foe, endeavoured to seize the pot 
and carry it away. For this purpose he commanded sacrifices to 
be made, and when he had sacrificed to the three precious 
ones™ he brought a large elephant richly caparisoned, and placed 
the pot upon the elephant. But the elephant fell to the earth. 


CHAPTER XII. 


75 


tinable to advance. He then constructed a four-wheeled car, and 
placed thereon the pot, and eight elephants were yoked to draw 
it; but these were unable to move a step. The king then knew 
that the destiny of the pot" was not yet fulfilled. He experienced 
deep mortification; nevertheless he caused a tower and a Sen Ida 
lan' % to be erected on this spot. He left a garrison to protect it, 
and caused all manner of ceremonies to be performed. There may 
be in that place about seven hundred ecclesiastics. A little before 
mid-day, the ecclesiastics bring the pot forth from its retreat, and 
clad in white garments, pay it all manner of honour. They then 
dine, and when evening is come, they burn perfumes, and after¬ 
wards return home. The pot may contain about two bushels.** 
It is of a mixed colour, in which black predominates ; it is well 
formed on all four sides, about two lines thick, bright and 
polished. Poor people come and, with a few flowers, fill it; whilst 
rich people bringing flowers as an offering, are unable to fill it with 
a hundred, a thousand, yea, ten thousand great measures. 14 

Only Pao yun and Leng king paid their devotions at the pot of 
Foe; they then returned. Hoei king, Hoei tha, and Tao ching had 
set out in advance to the kingdom of Na kie to worship there the 
Shadow and the Tooth of Foe, as also the bone of his skull. 
Hoei king having fallen sick, Tao ching remained to attend him, 
and Hoei tha returned alone to, the kingdom of Foe leou sha. 
When he rejoined his companions, Hoei tha, Pao yun and Seng 
king returned forthwith to the country of Thsin. Hoei king was 
delighted in an extraordinary manner with the temple of the pot 
of Foe. Fa Ilian alone proceeded to the place of the skull-bone 

of Foe. 


NOTES. 

(1) The kingdom of Foe leou sha .—There is scarce room to doubt that 
this is the most ancient record of the name Beluchi, under a form most 
probably borrowed from the Sanscrit. The town of Pa leou sha, which 
Hiouan Thsang places to the south-east of Gandh&ra, and that of Fou leou 
sha, which was inhabited by the Yue ti, seem to recall the same denomins- 

H 2 


76 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


tion. I hesitated at first to recognise the Beluchis, in the country of Foe 
leou s7ta, and thought that the name might be a corruption of that of Pars or 
Fars; but the geographical and religious considerations involved in the subject 
of Foe lou sha and Pa lou sha, forbid this conjecture.* It is singular enough 
that we should find this word in a Chinese narrative of the 5th century; and 
still more so to learu from such a source, particulars of the religious obser¬ 
vances of the people not found elsewhere. The most magnificent tower in 
all Jambudwipa, that is of Indian architecture in the entire continent, 
was constructed by the Foe leou sha , in honor of Buddha ; and in that tower 
was preserved his begging pot, an indispensible and characteristic utensil of 
the Buddhist recluse. The possession of such a treasure drew upon the 
country an invasion of the Yue ti or Getce, of whom Fa hian preserves 
this tradition accompanied by fabulous details. Chinese Geographers are, 
moreover, unanimous on the subject of the domination exercised by the Getae 
in these countries, and we shall by and bye see their name mixed up with 
a tradition relative to the same begging pot of Foe, noted by our traveller 
during his sojourn in Ceylon.—R. 

Lassen (Zur Geschichte, 8fc. p. 145) has satisfactorily restored the true 
reading of Foe lou sha, (or as it is more correctly transcribed by Hiouan 
thsang Pou lou sha pou lo,J in Purushapura ; a reading so obvious that the 
acquiescence of MM. Klaproth and Landresse in Remusat’s identification of 
Foe lou sha with Belucht, is quite unaccountable. The situation of Foe lou 
sha, must have in the neighbourhood of Peshawar, if indeed it be not the 
same; an inference which the similarity of name would seem in some degree 
to justify, although Muhammadan historians ascribe the present name to 
Akbar, who imposed it with reference to the frontier situation of the town. 
Certain it is there are many splendid monuments of Buddhism in the imme¬ 
diate vicinity. “ In the gorge of the Khyber Pass, says Dr. Gerard, which 
penetrates the country from Peshawar, stands a most magnificent edifice 
equal or exceeding that of Manikyala, and if I am not mistaken there are 
others.” These remains sufficiently prove that Foe lou sha, was an emi¬ 
nently Buddhist country, such as it is here described by Fa hian. See also 
Burnes, J. A. S. Vol. II. p. 308 ; and Wilson Ariana Antigua , p. 36, et seg. 
—J. W. L. 

(2) A nan, —frequently A nan tho (Ananda) the meaning of which is ex¬ 
plained to be gladness, jubilation ,f one of the favorite disciples of Sakya 
Muni, and one of those most frequently mentioned in the legends. He 


* Plan i tian, B. LX111. p. 15. 
t San tsang fa sou, B. XXXI. p. 10 verso. 


CHAPTER XII. 


77 


was deemed the most learned {to wen)* and the best versed in the doc¬ 
trines of the three tsang {Pitaka ), that is, the sacred books, the precepts, 
and the discourses. When Buddha had accomplished the law, the king 
Houfan {Amitodana ) his uncle, sent a message to his elder brother, king 
Pe tsing {Suklodana) that a son had been born to him. Pe tsing, enrap¬ 
tured at the news, observed to the ambassadors, “ Since it is a son, we must 
give him the name of Joy {Ananda).” This prince subsequently attached 
himself to Sakya Muni, when the latter embraced a religious life. 

A notice of the life of Ananda, informs us that he was a Kshetriya, 
native of the town of the kings (Rajagriha) and son of the king Pe fan. 
This last point is at variance with the preceding text which makes Ananda 
son of king Amitodana. After the narvana of his cousin, Ananda proceed¬ 
ed to the banks of the Ganges. Five hundred Arhans, descended through 
the air; amongst them were Shang no, ho sieou , and Mo ti kia ; he knew 
that all these personages were receptacles {vases) of the great law , and he 
called them to him. “ Formerly,” he said to them, “ the Tathagata confided 
to the great Kashyapa, the treasure of the eyes of the true law. When the 
latter entered into extasy, he transferred it to me; and I, who am on the 
eve of extinction, am about to transmit it to you. Listen to the following 
verses: 

There exists a law which I am about to confide to you. 

And that law is non-existence (the absolute). 

It is essential to distinguish these two things. 

And understand the law of that which is not nihility. 

The Arhan then raised himself in the air, and after undergoing eighteen 
transformations, allowed himself to be borne away by the breeze, and extin¬ 
guished himself suddenly, sinking into san mi (extasy). They divided his 
reliques, {sarira) and erected towers to his honor. This happened in the 
time of Iwang of Cheou (894-879 B. C.)t 

A chronological calculation may be deduced from these data. Sakya was 
thirty years of age, when he accomplished the law near the town of Bena¬ 
res ;t and it was at this epoch that Ananda was born. Maha Kasyapa, the 
first successor of Sdkya Muni, in the capacity of patriarch, withdrew to the 
hill Kukutapada to await the advent of Maitreya in the fifth year of 
Hiao wang of the Cheou, 905 B. C. forty-five years after the Nirvana, when 

* Fan i mingi, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, B. XII. p. 13 ; Japanese Ency- 
clop. B. XIX. p. 8. 

t San thsa'i thou hoeijin we, Book TX. p. 6. v. 

X Or rather Rajagriha.—J. W. L. 

H 3 


78 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


Ananda was 94 years old. How long he exercised his functions of patri¬ 
arch, is not narrated ; but in order to make his death synchronise even with 
the first year of the reign of 1 wang, he must have lived one hundred and 
five years. This is not impossible; still there is the more reason to doubt 
the fact since all the Buddhist writers whose works we have access to leave 
us in ignorance of the data upon which they establish such synchronisms 
between the early events of Buddhism and the ancient history of China. 
The subjoined is a brief recapitulation of these, from the Chinese work quot¬ 
ed above. 

Birth of Sakya . 0—24th of Chao wang, B. C. 1029 

Embraces a religious life, . 19—43d........... 1010 

Accomplishes the law. Ananda born, 30—3d. 999 

Enters Nirvana, . 79—52d of Mou wang, . 950 

Maha Kasyapa dies,. 124—5th of Hfao wang,. 905 

Ananda dies,. in the reign of I wang,.... 894-879 

Other Chinese works furnish calculations attended with similar uncertainty. 
Japanese Chronology places the death of Kasyapa, in 905 B. C. and that 
of Ananda in the eleventh year of Li wang, 868, when he must have been a 
hundred and thirty years old.*—R. 

See my notes 4, Chapter XXVI, and 1, Chapter XXXII.—J. W. L. 

(3) Pan ni houan;—ni houan, or extinction, may be recognized without 
difficulty as the transcription of the Sanscrit word Nirvana. But the word 
is often preceded in Chinese books by the syllable pan; and this occurs 
always when the expression refers, not to annihilation or extasy in general, 
but to the passage from real and relative life to the state of absorption as 
effected by a Buddha. Ni houan is the state to which saints aspire; pan ni 
houan, is the act by which they attain it. Adopting this explanation, M. 
Burnouf, thinks that these words may be the transcription of pari nirvana 
which in Sanscrit are employed in the same sense and upon similar occa¬ 
sions.—R. 

The words of the text are ngo pan ni houan heou. The word pan, or 
rather pouan, signifies, according to Chinese dictionaries, to transport one’s- 
self from one place to another. It would thus appear not to be the tran¬ 
scription of a Sanscrit word in the passage quoted, of which the sense seems 
sufficiently clear, being, “ after that I was transported into Ni houan (nir¬ 
vana).” The San tsangfa sou, (Book XXXIX. folio 24 verso) nevertheless 
mentions that the words Pan ni phan, is a Sanscrit expression, meaning in 
Chinese my tou, that is, “ the passage into a state of absorption.”—Kl. 

(4) Ki ni kia , or abbreviated as lower down, Ni kia; —the same prince who, 

* Wa kan kw6 too fen nen gakf oun no tsou, p. 16. 











CHAPTER XII. 


79 


according to Hiouan thsang, reigned four hundred years after the Nirvana 
of the Tathagata, and whom he names Kia ni se kia. This must be the 
Kanika of Sanangsetsen, whom this Mongolian writer places three hundred 
years after the Nirvana of Buddha, and whom he designates as the king of 
Gatchou, with the epithet, prince of mercy, bestower of charity, beneficent.* 
—R. 

This is no doubt the Kanishka of the Lolita Vistara ; the monarch in 
whose reign, 400 years after the nirvana, the third revision of the Buddhist 
scriptures was completed. It is extremely probable that this prince is 
identical notwithstanding a chronological discrepance, with the Kanishka of 
the Raja Taringini, in which he and his immediate predecessors are spok¬ 
en of as eminent Buddhists. “ During the long reign of these kings, the 
country of Kashmir was for the greater part of the time in the hands of the 
Bauddhas, whose strength was augmented by their wandering habits. One 
hundred and fifty years had then elapsed since the emancipation of the 
blessed Salcya Sinha from this perishable world.” Raja Taringini, B. 1. 
si. 171, 172. Hiouan thsang confirms the chronology of the Lalita Vistara. 
It does not follow however that the territories of Kashmir extended to Foe 
leou sha at this time ; for Fa hian simply speaks of Kanishka as travelling 
through that country ; very possibly on a pilgrimage to the consecrated 
spots which attracted himself some centuries later.—J. W. L. 

(5) Shy ; —Indra. 

(6) Forty toises , —about 400 English feet. For an account of a yet loftier 
sthupa, in the same country, see Chap. III. 3, and the account of Gandha- 
ra by Hiouan thsang.—R. 

(7) Yanfeou thi. —This is a corruption of Jambu dwipa sometimes more 
correctly rendered the Island of Shen you. Buddhist cosmogony, like 
that of the brahmans, divides the earth into four great Dwipas, or corni- 
nents (islands) disposed around Sumeru. These continents are named,— 

1. Foe yu thai, ox Foe pho thi, (Purvavideha ?) to the east of Sumeru. 
This word signifies a body which surpasses, because the extent of this con¬ 
tinent exceeds that of the southern one. It is also translated origin, or 
beyinning, because the sun rises in that country. This continent is narrow 
towards the east, and broad towards the west, having the form of a half 
moon. The faces of the inhabitants are also fashioned like a half moon. 
Their stature is eight cubits, of eight iuches each; and they live two 
hundred and fifty years. 

[This word is properly a synonyme of Videha, oriental.—Kl.] 


* Geschiclite der Ost-Mongolen, p. 16. 


80 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


2 '.Ymfeou thi, yan fern, in Sanscrit Jambu th^dwipa, an island. 
Jambu is the name of a tree. “ In western lands there is a tree called 
Jambu ; at its foot is a river, and at the bottom of this river is auriferous 
sand.”* This continent is to the south of Sumeru ; it is narrow to the south 
and broad towards the north, of the form of the body of a chariot; its extent 
is seven thousand yojanas. The faces of the inhabitants are of the same shape 
as the continent. The greater number of them are three and a half cubits 
high, and some so much as four cubits. The duration of their life is on. 

hundred years, but many do not attain this age. 

[Other Chinese authors say that Jambu dwipa signifies the eastern isle 

of gold. —Kl.] 

3. Kiu ye ni (Gddhanya.) This Sanscrit word signifies wealth of oxen, 
because it is in oxen that the riches of the country consist. It lies west of 
Surtieru. Its form is that of the full moon ; its diameter eight thousand 
yojanas. The faces of its inhabitants resemble the full moon. Their 
stature is sixteen cubits, and they live five hundred years. 

4. Yu tan yue (Uttara kuru). This Sanscrit word signifies the ‘ Land 
of conquerors; because its inhabitants have subjected the three other con- 
tinents. 

[The Chinese text says that the word Yu tan yue signifies in Chinese, 

The most elevated place, because this country is more elevated than the 
three other Che on, or divisions of the world.” The version of M. Remusat, 
“ Land of Conquerors,” &c. is incorrect ; besides nttaru in Sanscrit signifies 
pre-eminent, or raised, and Kuru is the name of a tribe.—Kl.] 

To the north is Sumeru. This continent is square like a tank; its size 
is ten thousand yojanas. The faces of its inhabitants are of the form of the 
continent. They are thirty-two cubits high, and live a thousand year.. 
There is no such thing as premature death among them.f 

The names of these four continents in Tibetan and Mongol are 


Tibetan. 

1. Char gi'i Lus pag dwip. 

2. Jambu dwip, or Jambu gling. 

3. Noub gi'i Balang bdjod dwip. 

4. Bdja gramisnan dwip. 


Mongolian. 

1. Dorona Oulamdzi beyetou dip. 

2. Jambu dwip. 

3. Ourouna Uker edlektchi dip. 

4. Moh dohtou dip. 


• u J u --- X 

Jambu dwip evidently represents India in this cosmography, together 
with what other parts of the old continent were known to the Hindus. 1 
shall hereafter have occasion to explain who were the Kings of the Wheel 
(Chakravarti raja) or universal monarclis. During the interval of th« 

* Fan y ming i, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, Book XX. p. 8. 
t C/umg a han, quoted in the San tsang j a sou, B. A\ 111. p. 17. 


CHAPTER XII. 


81 


dominion which these kings exercised over one or other of the great isles 
of which I am about to speak, Jambu dwipa was divided among four great 
lords : 1. To the east, the king of men , so called because of the vast popu¬ 
lation of those parts. The natives were refined in their manners ; they 
cultivated humanity, justice, and science ; the country was pleasant and 
agreeable. 2. To the south, the king of elephants. This country is hot 
and moist, suitable for elephants, and hence its name. The inhabitants are 
violent and ferocious, addicted to magic and the occult sciences ; but they 
are capable also of purifying the heart, and, by casting off the trammels of 
the world, of emancipating themselves from the vicissitudes of life and death. 
3. To the west, the king of precious things. This country extends to the 
sea, which produces plenty of pearls and precious things and thus gives rise 
to the name. The inhabitants are ignorant alike of the rites and of social 
duties, and hold nothing in esteem but riches. 4. To the north, the king of 
horses. This land is cold and hard, adapted to the nurture of horses. The 
inhabitants are bold and cruel, capable of enduring dangers and death.*—R. 

I believe that this refers to the four chiefs who divided the empire of 
India, after the dismemberment of the ancient royalty of Delhi, and whom 
tradition names Narapati, chief of men ; Gajapati , chief of elephants ; Chha- 
trapati, chief of the umbrella ; Ashwapati, chief of horses.—E. Burnouf. 

(8) The legging pot of Fo. —The pot is one of the six indispensibles of 
a religious mendicant. It is with the pot that he asks alms, and it is in it 
that he holds his food. Its form is that of a small flat vessel, narrow at the 
top and broader at the bottom. Its material should be common and low- 
priced, like clay or iron ; and it should contain a bushel and a half at least, 
and not more than three bushels. A figure of one may be seen in the little 
elementary Japanese Encyclopedia.-f That represented in the great Ency¬ 
clopedia is too much ornamented, and represents the State vase of some 
rich convent in Japan. The pot and the garments of Foe are looked upon 
as precious reliques, which should be preserved with religious solicitude 
and passed from hand to hand, so that the Chinese expression i po, (vest¬ 
ment and pot) have become synonymous with this mode of transmission.J 
It is pretended that the pot and the garments of Foe were brought to 
China, in the 5th century, by Bodhidharma, the last of the Buddhist 
patriarchs born in Hindustan.§ We shall see in the course of the present 
narrative, many other facts connected with the pot of Buddha. The 

* Fa youan chu lirt, i. e. the forest of pearls in the garden of the law , quoted in 
the San tsang fa sou, Book XVI. p. 12 v. 

f Huin meng thou loui, Book XI. p. 6. 

j Khang hi tseu tian, ad verb Po. 

$ Id.ibid. 





82 


FILGRIMAGE OF FA HIA N. 


Chinese word po (pot) is an abridgment of the Sanscrit po to la, (p6tra). 
The Manchous have formed of it their word badiri. The Burmese 



(9) The king of the Yue ti .—The Yue shi, yue chi, or as M. Klap¬ 
roth thinks, the word should be read the Yue ti, or Youtti, are one of the 
most celebrated nations of ancient Tartary. According to the Chinese, 
they originally led a wandering life in the country lying between Thun 
hoang (Sha cheou) and the Khi lian Mountains. A war waged against them 
in the second century before Christ by their northern neighbours, the 
Hioung nou, compelled them to fly towards the west. They established 
themselves in Transoxania beyond Ferghana ; and having overcome the Ta 
hia, halted on the northern bank of the Wet (Oxus), subjecting at the same 
time the Anszu, who in those times had no supreme chief. They occupied 
at the time when Chang khian was among them as ambassador (See Chap. 
VII. note 4) five towns, the names of which it is not easy to recognise, 
owing to the penury of geographical information connected with that coun¬ 
try at the epoch in question. These towns were Ho me, capital of the 
tribe of Hieou mi; Shouang mi, occupied by a tribe of the same name ; Hou 
tsao , subject to a prince of Kouei shouang ; Po mao, inhabited by a tribe of 
the Hi tun, and Kao fou (Cabul) where dwelt a tribe so named. The town 
of Lan shi, is quoted as the residence of their king. In the first century of 
our era the prince of the Kouei shouang subjected the other four states, 
became very powerful, mastered the countries of the An szu, of Cabul, of 
Han tha (Kandahar), of Ki pin (Cophene). His successor yet further in¬ 
creased in power and possessed himself of India. The kings of the Yue ti 
continued their authority in these countries up to the third century. Their 
incursions into India are spoken of even to the fifth century, and the situa¬ 
tions of their settlements pointed out. Pho lo (Balkh) to the west, Gan- 
dhara to the north, and five kingdoms to the south of the latter, recognised 
their authority. It was the merchants of this nation that instructed the 
Chinese in the art of making glass from melted flint. A branch of the Yue 
ti, which remained behind at the period of their emigration, inhabited the 
ft. E. of Little Tibet, under the name of the Little Yue ti. Another branch, 
bearing the same name, but very distinct, detached itself at a subsequent 
period (in the fifth century) from the bulk of the nation, and occupied the 
town of Poe leou sha, situated to the S. W. of Pho lo, (Balkh), and which 
must be the Pa lou sha, of Hiouan thsang, (see Chap. XII.), or the coun¬ 
try of the Beluchis. It is reported that at ten li distance from this town 


* Judson, Barm. Diet. p. 362. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


83 


there was a tower dedicated to Foe, which was three hundred and fifty paces 
in circumference and eighty toises high. From the date of the erection of 
this gigantic tower, called the tower of a hundred toises, to the eighth year of 
the Won ting (550 A. D.) eight hundred and forty-two years were reckon¬ 
ed ; which gives 292 B. C. as the date of its erection, and consequently at 
an epoch previous to the emigration of the Yue ti. 

There can be no doubt that the Yue ti were one of those nations of upper 
Asia, who settled in Batriana and conquered the eastern provinces of Persia, 
modern Afghanistan, Beloochistan and the western parts of India. Their 
name, of which traces exist among all these nations, leads us to the opinion 
that they are of the Gothic stem, notwithstanding their oriental origin. It 
is not a little remarkable to find this race so attached to the religion of 
Buddha as the fact here narrated by Fa hian, and other circumstances to 
be noted hereafter, would evince.—R. 

(10) The three precious ones .—See Chap. VII. note 6.—R. 

(11) The destiny of the pot. —The word Yuan , which I translate destiny , 
signifies perhaps not that which has been irrevocably fixed beforehand by a 
free and infinitely powerful being, but the inevitable concatenation of all 
cause and all effect. As to the fate of the pot of Buddha, we shall see a 
curious tradition on this subject in Fa hian’s narrative connected with 
Ceylon.—R. 

(12) Seng Jcia ten. —See Chap. III. note 5.—R. 

(13) Two bushels. —The teou or bushel, contains ten pounds of rice or 
140 ounces of our ordinary weight (French).—R. 

(14) Great measures. — Hou, the decuple of a bushel.—R. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


Kingdom of Na kie.—Town of Hi lo.—Skull-bone of Foe.—Tooth of Foe.— 
Staff of Foe.—Mantle of Foe.—Shadow of Foe. 

Travelling westward the space of sixteen yeou yan you arrive 
at the frontier of the kingdom of Na kie 8 and the town of Hi lo? 
In this place is the chapel of the skull-bone Foe. It is gilded 
all over and covered with the most costly ornaments . 4 The 



84 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


king of the country entertains the greatest veneration for the 
hone ; and in the dread lest any one should purloin it, has chosen 
eight chiefs of the principal families of his kingdom, each of whom 
has a seal which he sets on the gate of the chapel. Early in the 
morning the whole eight proceed to verify the seals, and then 
open the gate. When it is opened, they wash their hands in 
perfumed water, take up the skull-bone of Foe, and bear it 
out of the chapel to a throne provided with a round stone 
table and all kinds of precious things. The table of stone which 
is below, and the bell-glass which covers it are equally adorned 
with pearls and fine gems. The bone is of a yellowish white 
colour; it is four inches in circumference, and* has an 
eminence on the upper part. Every day at sunrise the attendants 
of the chapel ascend an elevated pavilion, beat great drums, 
sound the conch, and strike the copper cymbals. As soon as 
the king hears these, he repairs to the chapel, where he performs 
his devotions, offering flowers and perfumes. This service con¬ 
cluded, each, according to his rank, places the relique on his 
head 5 and goes away. You enter by the eastern gate and go out 
by the western. The king adopts this practice every morning, 
and it is only after he has paid his devotions and completed 
the ceremony of adoration, that he engages in the affairs of the 
state. The grandees and the principal officers begin with the 
same act of adoration before engaging in their private affairs. It 
is the same every day, and this particular duty admits of no 
intermission or abatement of zeal. When all have finished their 
devotions, the skull-bone is taken back again to the chapel. 
There are towers of deliverance , 6 adorned with all manner of 
precious things, some open, the others shut, and about five feet 
high. To supply these, there are constantly every morning, 
dealers in flowers and perfumes before the gate of the cha¬ 
pel, that such as wish to perform their devotions may buy of 
every variety. The kings of neighbouring countries are likewise 
in the habit of deputing persons to perform the ceremonies of 
worship in their name. The site occupied by the chapel is forty 


CHAPTER XIII. 


85 


paces square. Were the heavens to fall down and the earth 
to open up, this spot would never be removed! 

From this place, proceeding northward one yeou yan , you 
arrive at the capital of the kingdom of Na kie. It was here 
that the Phou sa bought with silver money flowers where¬ 
with to do homage to Ting kouan Foe.' In this town there is a 
tower erected over a tooth of Foe.* They perform the same cere¬ 
monies there as in honor of the skull-bone. 

At the distance of one yeou yan to the north -east of the town, 
at the entrance of a valley, is the staff of Foe. 9 In this place also 
is a chapel erected, and are similar ceremonies performed. The 
staff is surmounted with a bull’s head in sandalwood; it is 
about six or seven toises long. It is placed within a wooden tube, 
whence a hundred, or even a thousand men, could not with¬ 
draw it. 

Entering the valley, and proceeding four days’ journey towards 
the west, you arrive at the chapel of the Seng kia li of Foe, 10 
where the ceremonies of adoration are performed. When there 
is great drought in the kingdom, the inhabitants proceed together, 
draw forth the Seng kia li, and adore it. The heavens then 
shower down rain in abundance. 

To the south of the town, about half a yeou yan, there is a stone 
building backed by a mountain and facing the south-west. It was 
here that Foe left his shadow. 11 When you contemplate it at the 
distance of ten paces, it is as if you saw the veritable person of Foe 
himself, of the colour of gold, with all its characteristic beauties, 
and resplendent with light. The nearer you approach the fainter 
the shadow becomes. It is a representation perfectly resembling 
the reality. The kings of all countries have sent painters to copy 
it, but none have succeeded. The people of the country have a 
tradition according to which a thousand Foes will eventually 
leave their shadows here. 

At about a hundred steps to the west of the shadow. Foe, 
while in the world, cut his hair and his nails ; and in concert 
with his disciples erected a tower seven or eight toises 12 high, 

i 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


86 

to serve as a model for all towers to be erected thereafter. It 
subsists to this day. Near it is a monastery in which are about 
seven hundred ecclesiastics. In this place is the tower of the Lo 
han and the Py chi Foe , 13 where have dwelt a thousand (of those 
sanctified personages.) 

NOTES. 

(1) The space of six yeou yan. —The length of the yeou yan, or yojana 
of India, is estimated at 4 kros, that is 4£, 5, or even 9 English miles. 
The employment of this measure, foreign to China, shows that Fa hian 
adopted Indian estimations of distance. From the correspondence of many 
of these mentioned by him with the actual distances upon our maps, it 
would appear that he faithfully delivered the estimations of geographers 
or of travellers in India during the 5th century. Nevertheless, the 
greater part of his distances whether expressed in li, or in marches, or in 
yojanas , appear somewhat too great, and even exaggerated. The sinuosities 
of the roads, and the variations of the standard of measure may in some 
degree account for too high An estimate. On some occasions he was misled 
by false and almost fabulous reports; but this is only when he speaks of 
places which he had not himself visited, or of distances which he was not 
himself in a condition to verify ; and his errors of this kind are of less 
consequence. We are inclined to adopt as the mean value of the yojana , of 
the Foe koue ki, the least of those mentioned by Wilson ; that is 4 \ English 
miles, or 15 to a degree, as applicable with exactness to the most celebrated 
localities, the synonymy of which will hereafter appear incontestible. 

I may here adjoin some literary and historical observations. This metri¬ 
cal term is written in Chinese, yeou yan, yeou siun , or yu chen na, 
the threefold transcript of yojana, and is translated measure, goal, or 
station. The Ye sou* ascribes its origin to the stations established by the 
kings of the wheel ( Chakravarti raja) when they visited the different parts of 
their dominions. “ They are,’’ says a Chinese writer, “ the relays of the 
post in that country.” And the writer estimates the yojan at 40 li in the 
times of the Tsin. + The translators of Buddhist works distinguish three 
kinds of yojan according to the Ta chi tou tun the great yojana of 80 li, 
which is used in the measurement of level countries, where the absence of 
mountains and rivers renders the road easy ; the mean yojana of 60 li, when 

* San tsang fa sou, Book XIII. p, 5. 

f Youan kian lou'i han. Book CCCXVI, p, 6. 

^ Fan y ming i, quoted in the San tsang fa sou. — ibid. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


87 


rivers and mountains oppose some difficulties to the traveller, and the little 
jyojana of 40 /*, adapted to those countries where the mountains are precipit¬ 
ous and the rivers very deep. For the Indian valuation of the yojana, the 
reader may consult Wilson (Sanscrit Dictionary) and the Ayin Akbari; and for 
that deduced from the distances given by Fa hian what has been said above. It 
may be inferred that our traveller obtained the distances he sets down from the 
mouths of the natives, or perhaps from some Indian geographical work which 
he had within reach. In either case an approximate determination only can 
be expected, sufficient for the historical geography of a country almost entirely 
unknown. We may further observe that Fa hian begins to use this measure 
in the country of Na kie, having employed the Chinese li throughout the 
previous portions of his journey. This is another of those facts which attest 
the predominance of the language and customs of Hindustan beyond the 
present limits of that country towards the north and north-west.—R. 

(2) The kingdom of Na kie. —The position of this country is not easy of 
determination, as well from the few points of comparison as because Fa 
hian and Hiouang thsang followed different routes to reach it. The 
former arrived there after a journey of sixteen yojanas to the west of the 
Beluchi country: the second goes via Cabul, after crossing a great 
river, which must be one of the affluents of the Indus, and thence 
proceeds westerly to the country of the Gandharas. We cannot, however > 
be far from the truth in placing Na kie, to the east of the present Ghazni 
and Kandahar. But confining our attention here to the names only, that 
of Na kie, written Na kie lo ho, by Hiouan thsang, is written Na kia lo ho, 
by the two Chinese travellers Soung yun, and Hoei sang. A legend is 
given in the Si yu ki, which may explain its origin. The kingdom of Na 
kie lo ho, sent tribute to China in A. D. 628. It was then a dependence of 
that of Kia pi she. 

As China had, under the dynasty of the Thang, political intercourse with 
the kingdom of Na kie, the latter must have had an existence of some dura¬ 
tion. We learn that at the period in question it was not subject to one 
prince, but was divided among several tribes, each of which had its own 
chief; the ordinary condition of Scinde, Beluchistan, and Afghanistan. The 
country was rugged, unequal, scooped into valleys, and surrounded by moun¬ 
tains. This description applies equally to all parts of that country. Final¬ 
ly, five hundred li to the south-east, bring us back to the country of Gan- 
dhara. This indication, though vague, places Na kie in the centre of 
Afghanistan, and the town of Hi lo must be situated on the confines of that 
country and Persia. The number of hermits there had greatly diminished, 
and many religious structures had fallen to ruins. Shy kia (Sakya) in his 
i 2 


88 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


condition of Bodhisattwa, had left traces of his passage through this court- 
try.—R. 

I here transcribe Lassen’s luminous critique of this portion of our pil¬ 
grim’s route:— 

“ Na tie lies sixteen yojanas westward of Foe leou sha, (Peshawur). Its 
name is more correctly transcribed Na ko lo ho by Hiouan thsang, who 
approached it from Lan pho or Lamghan, crossing the great (or Cabul) 
River, from which it was distant a hundred li, or somewhat more than five 
geographical miles. Na ko lo ho lay in the yalley of the river Hi lo, about 
a mile from the capital of the same name, and close to a hill likewise called 
Hi lo, 

“ The latter river, on the south side of the Cabul, can be no other than the 
Surkhrud, and on this supposition we must search for Na ko lo ho in Bala- 
bagh. The Buddhist remains said to be in the neighbourhood of the Hi lo, 
are identical with those on the Surkhrud from Balabagh to Jellalabad. 

“ In the river Hi lo, I think I recognise the Hir of D’Anville and Rennell’s 
maps, at the confluence of which with the Nilab the town of Nagara must 
have stood; only there is another Hir to be accounted for, which in other 
narratives is said to flow past Cabul. If then Hi lo be the Chinese tran¬ 
scription of Hir, Na ko lo ho seems as certainly that of Nagara. 

“ Th is leads us back to the Nagara of Ptolemy, which was unquestionably 
to the south of the Kameh river. Now the obvious similarity of names 
leaves little room to doubt that his Nagara was no other than Na ko 
lo ho. His Artoartar must be identical with the Purushapura of the 
Chinese travellers. * * * * * Na kie was in the year 628 subject to the 
kingdom of Kia pia she, on the Gurbend, and was the boundary betwixt Gan- 
dhara and western Cabulistan. This town was sixteen yojanas distant from 
the capital of the Gandharas, or according to others, 500 li north-west from 
thence over the hills ; say twenty-five geographical miles. The distance from 
the Surkhrud to Jellalabad is, according to Tieffenthaler, twenty-four miles » 
and the capital of Gandhara could not have been much more easterly than 
Jellalabad. The route of Hiouan thsang, however, was not by the river, but 
across the hills, and therefore more direct. 

“To verify the geography of western Cabulistan, we must begin with 
Hiouan thsang’s entrance iuto the country from the northward. He 
proceeds from Bamian eastwards over the snowy hills, then over the Black 
Mountains to Kia pi she. The distance is not given; but as the town 
of Kia pi she was also in the mountains, it is probable that it lay in the 
next valley east of Bamian, where a pass leads to the valley of the 
Gurbend, as described by Baber. I refer to Burnes’s corrected map. Two 


CHAPTER XIII. 


89 




hundred li to the north of the capital are the Great Snowy Mountains and 
the Hindu Kosh, so that it cannot be Cabul, as M. Landresse supposes. It 
was, in 632, an independent State, to which several neighbouring countries 
belonged, as we see was the case with Na kie. Here was the old kingdom of 
the Gandharas, not indeed of the Indians, but of the Scythians, who at a later 
period took possession of the Indian Gandhara. Ptolemy has a town named 
Kapisa two and a half degrees to the north of Kabura , and Pliny, when enu¬ 
merating the countries to the west of the Indus, observes, “ a proximis Indo 
gentibus montana Capissene habuit Capissam urbem, quam diruit Cyrus. This 
is without doubt the Kia pi she, of the Chinese.” (Lassen, Zur Geschichte 
der Griechischen und Indoskythischen Kbnige , pp. 147—150.)—J. W. L. 

(3) The town of Hi lo. —This town was not the capital of the kingdom 
of Na kie, but was situated thirty li to the south-east of the capital, and 
appears to have been particularly remarkable for the number of reliques of 
Buddha which it possessed.—R. 

(4) All sorts of precious ornaments. —More literally, the seven precious 
things , an expression frequently employed in an indeterminate sense, defi- 
nitum pro indefinito. The designation of the seven precious things is very 
various : the following are two series of them, with details which appear 
curious enough. 1st. Sou fa lo, (Suvarna) the Sanscrit word for gold. 
According to the Fa chi tou lun, gold is drawn from mountains, stones, 
sand, and red copper. It has four properties ; it never changes its color; 
it alters not; nothing prevents it resuming its form (sense of the text 
doubtful); and it makes man opulent. 2d. A lou pa (rupya) the Sanscrit 
name of silver. According to the same work, silver is extracted from melt¬ 
ed stones ; it is commonly called white gold. It has the four properties of 
gold. 3d. IAeou li, the Sanscrit word for a blue stone. The Kouan king 
sou, or “ Explanation of the Book of Comtemplation,” calls it also fei lieou 
li ye, which signifies, not far; a name given in consequence of its being 
found in the western countries not far from Benares. 

[It is without doubt the Sanscrit word Vaidurya, or lapis lazuli. Vidura, 
which signifies not far, is the name of the mountain where it is found.—E.. 
Burnouf.} 

The blue or greeii colour of this precious substance cannot be changed by 
any other matter. Its lustre and hardness are unrivalled in the world. 4th. 
Pho li, otherwise Se pho ti kia, (sphathika, spath) is the Sanscrit name 
of Shou'i yu , or rock crystal. Its transparence and lustre are unique in the 
world. 5th. Meou pho lo kie la pho; this Sanscrit word designates a preci¬ 
ous substance of a blue or white colour ; its form is that of a wheel, with a 
nave, and rays. (I think this must be a species of ammonite.) Its hardness 

i 3 


90 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


and beauty of colour cause it to be greatly in request in the world. 6th. Mo 
lo kia li, or agate, a stone of mixed colors, white and red, resembling the 
brain of ahorse, whence its (Chinese) name ma nao, equi cerebrum. It 
may be polished, and made into vases ; and hence its value. 7th. Po ma lo 
kia (padmaraga), a Sanscrit word signifying a red gem (more correctly 
colour of the nelombo ). The Foe ti lun (“ Discourse on the land of Buddha”) 
says that it is the produce of red insects. The Ta chi tou lun says, that it 
is a stone found in the belly of a fish, and in the brain of a serpent. Its red 
color is extremely bright and lustrous, which causes it to be sought after. 

[Padmaraga is the Sanscrit for ruby.—Kl.] 

The second series is composed exclusively of precious stones. 1st. Po lo 
so (Sanscrit prabala, Bengali paid) coral. The Ta chi tou lun calls it the 
tree of sea-stone. They say that in the sea of the south-west, distant 7 or 
8 li, (this is an evident error,—perhaps it should be 7 or 8 thousand li) 
there is a coral isle, the foundation of which is a stone upon which this sub¬ 
stance grows. The coral is detached from it with iron nets. 2d. A 
chy ma kie pho (asmagarbha ?) or amber. It is of a red colour and trans¬ 
parent. 3d. Ma ni or mo ni ( mani ) a word which signifies spotless, and 
designates a pearl. This substance is brilliant and pure, free from spot and 
stain. It is on this account that the Yuan kio chhao (Manual of the Pra- 
tyeka Buddhas) calls it also jou i (conformable to the desires or inten¬ 
tions) s the wealth one desires to possess, vestments, food, in short, all 
necessary things are to be procured by means of this precious thing, confor¬ 
mably with one's desires; and hence its name. 4th. Chin shou kia; this 
Sanscrit word designates a precious stone of a red colour. According to 
the history of the western countries, there is a tree named Chin shou kia 
(kimsuka, Butea frondos a) the flowers of which are red and as large as the 
hand. The substance to which this name is also given is of the same colour 
with these flowers. 5th. Shy kia pi ling kia. This Sanscrit word signifies a 
conqueror, one that excels, because this substance surpasses all other preci¬ 
ous stones in the world. 6th. Mo lo kia pho (marakata, emerald;. The 
Ta chi tou lun uames thus a precious stone of a green colour. It comes 
from the beak of a bird with golden wings, and is a charm against all sort of 
poisons. 7th. Pa che lo ( vajra ), or the diamond. This substance is born 
in gold ; its color is similar to that of the amethyst; it is incorruptible and 
infusible, extremely hard and sharp, and capable of cutting jade. 

For seven other precious things appertaining to the monarch of the earth, 
See Chap. X. note 4.—R. 

(5) Places the relique on his head .—This phrase is obscure in the text 
and may be variously translated. Thing that signifies to carry to the head, 


CHAPTER XIII. 


91 


and that which is borne on the head, as the button on the bonnet which dis¬ 
tinguishes rank and those who enjoy such distinction. Tsou ti signifies 
per ordinem. —R. 

(6) Towers of deliverance. —This word tower, in Sanscrit sthupa, applies 
not merely to great religious buildings, but likewise to those miniature 
structures which are the model of the former on a reduced scale. Several 
kinds are distinguished by different names ; such as sthupa, ta pho (emi¬ 
nence), feou thou (acervus), sou theou pho (precious tower), teou seou pho; 
but many of these denominations are derived from the Sanscrit radical 
sthupa, and their various significations seem altogether arbitrary. These 
little structures are built of stone or brick, in the form of a tower without 
capital. They are of one, two, three, or four stories, for the sravakas or 
auditors of Buddha of the first four ranks. The pi phao tha, are consecrated 
to the reliques of Buddha anterior to his entering upon nirvana. Those 
of the Pratyeka Buddhas have eleven stories; those of Buddha thirteen, 
to show that he had passed the twelve nidanas, or conditions of relative 
existence; but no stories are observable on those erected to ordinary mendi¬ 
cants, or virtuous persons.* 

According to the Fa houa wen Mu, towers or sthupas were never 
erected over the tombs of either monks or laymen ; but 
simple stones, which by their form symbolise the five 
elements, ether, air, fire, water, and earth, and conse¬ 
quently the human body which is compounded of these. 
These too are called sthupa by analogy. The annexed 
cut may give some idea of the figure assigned to each 
element. 

The lowest, or the earth, is rectangular. Water, immediately above, 
occupies a circle ; fire, a triangle; air, a crescent; and ether a smaller 
accuminated circle. Instead of Chinese names, Sanscrit letters, being the 
abbreviation of the Sanscrit name of each element, are inscribed on these 
different parts of the sthupa : thus kha, ether; ka, air; ra, fire; va , 
water; a, earth (?). On joining thereto a fifth syllable, ma or sa for 
knowledge, or thought, we have the names of the six elements, and a formula 
of immense efficacy. Another species of tower is spoken of, called a look - 
out sthupa ;+ and a formula which has the power to ensure against the three 
evil ways (hell, the condition of brutes, and that of demons). Many boast 
of it; but this formula is not found in the sacred texts ; it is an invention of 
subsequent times and of unknown origin. 

* Shy shi yao Ian, quoted in the Japanese Cyclopedia, Book XIX. p. 14. 

f Sthupa a vue. 







92 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


The towers of deliverance spoken of by Fa hian, would appear to have 
been hollow altars, adapted to receive offerings of flowers and perfumes. 
The word deliverance signifies the final emancipation of the soul, its return 
to original perfection ; in Chinese Kia'i thou ; in Sanscrit mukti. R. 

(7) Ting kouang Foe. —The adventure to which allusion is here made, is 
given in detail, Chap. X. note 4. We see that the country of Thi ho wei, 
where the father of this ancient Buddha reigned, must be situated in the 
eastern part of Persia; so that, while reserving to Sakya himself the 
local traditions of northern and central India, the Buddhists did not hesi¬ 
tate to transport the scene of the mythological deeds of their saints beyond 
the limits of Hindustan, to countries which they designate ‘ India of the 
North,’ and where their religion very probably did not penetrate till an age 
very recent when compared with that of its oiigin. R. 

(8) A tooth of Foe. —A relique of this nature has already been mentioned 
in Chapter V. and others will yet come before us, particularly in our pil¬ 
grim’s account of Ceylon. An observation to be made in the following note, 
and which is equally applicable to the tooth here spoken of, would induce 
us to suppose that these precious remains appertainied to another personage 
than the historical Buddha, Sakya Muni; possibly to Ting kouang Foe , 
spoken of in note 7. The tooth here mentioned had disappeared before the 
journey of Hiouan thsang, two hundred and twenty seven years subsequent 
to that of Fa hian.—R. 

(9) The staff of Foe. —The staff, like the begging pot, is an essential attri¬ 
bute of the Buddhist mendicant. Its Sanscrit name is hi ki lo; in Chinese 
it is called sy chang (tin staff), chi chang, te chang, shing chang , the staff 
of prudence, of virtue, the talking staff, because of the noise occasioned by 
the rings with which it is ornamented ; in Manchou it is called douldouri. 
There is a * Book of the Staff,' ( Sy chang king ) in which Buddha is made to 
say to his disciple Kasyapa, “ Tin is the lightest (among the metals) ; the 
staff is at once a support, and a preservative against vice, by the help of 
which escape is effected from the boundary of the three worlds.” The 
staff of Kasyapa Buddha had a head with two openings, in which were fixed 
six rings. That of Sakya Buddha had four openings and twelve rings. 
The modern douldouri has nine. What is said here of the dimensions of 
the staff of Foe, that it was of six or seven Chinese toises (18 to 21 metres) 
would prove, unless there be some error in the text, that our author speaks 
of the staff, not of Sakya, but of one of those Buddhas who were born at 
an epoch when the life of man was of prodigious length and his stature colos¬ 
sal. For example, Kasyapa was born in the age when the life of man ex¬ 
tended to twenty thousand years, and his stature was sixteen toises (48m. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


93 


80) ; Vipasyi, born in the time when men lived eighty thousand years, was 
sixty yojanas high, and the glory encircling his head, one hundred and 
twenty. It must have been to some giant of this order that a staff of 
eighteen or twenty metres belonged.—R. 

(10) The seng kia li of Foe. — Seng kia li , or more correctly Seng kia ti, 
is the Chinese transcription of Sanghati. Buddhist ascetics have three 
kinds of dresses. 1st. The Seng kia li, so called from a Sanscrit word sig¬ 
nifying joined or doubled, because it is made of pieces cut and united toge¬ 
ther again. The I ching fa sse states that the Sanscrit word Seng kia ti 
signifies a doubled dress ; but the Suian liu sse assures us that the names of 
the three garments can not be very exactly translated ; that the great gar¬ 
ment is named Tsa sou'i i, because of the number of pieces of which it is 
composed. As to its use, it is called, ‘ a dress to enter the palace of kings,’ 
or * a dress for a public place,’ because it is worn on the occasion of preach¬ 
ing the law in palaces, as well of begging in the cross-ways. The Sa pho 
to lun, distinguishes three sorts of full dress; the lower, which consists 
of nine, eleven, or thirteen pieces; the middle, which is of fifteen, seven¬ 
teen and nineteen pieces ; and the upper, which has twenty-one, twenty-three* 
or twenty-five. 2d. Yu to lo seng (uttarasanghati); a Sanscrit word signify¬ 
ing the upper garment, surtout; it consists of seven pieces. The Siuan 
liu sse calls this garment of seven pieces the dress of the middle order, and 
according to its style, * the dress for going to the assembly .’ It is worn on 
the occasion of ceremonies, prayers, festivals, and preaching. 3d. An tho 
hoe'i ; this Sanscrit word means an inner vesture, used in sleep and worn next 
the body. The same work calls it the nether garment, and states that it is 
composed of five pieces. Its use is defined to be ‘ a garment formed of 
several pieces worn in-doors by those who practise the law,’ Its Sanscrit 
name is antaravasaka. —R. 

(11) His shadow. —This singular relique was also seen by Hiouan 
thsang, and as we cannot question its existence, must be accounted for as 
the effect of some optical contrivance, dexterously used to deceive these 
superstitious pilgrims. The characteristic beauties here spoken of are the 
thirty-two lakshana, of the visible and transfigured body of Buddha. 
Hiouan thsang explains the occasion on which the Tathagata left his shadow 
in this place, and confirms the prediction that all the Shi tsun ( Lokajyest - 
ha, illustrious of the age, Buddhas ) of the period of sages, or the present 
cycle, would imitate in this respect the example of Sakya Muni.—R. 

(12) Seven to eight toises. —Betwixt 70 and 80 English feet. 

(13) The Lo han and the Py chi foe. —We have already seen that Lo han, 
or more exactly A lo han, is the transcription of Arhan ; and that this San- 


94 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


scrit term designates one of the superior orders in the scale of saints or 
purified intelligences. The degree immediatly below these is the Py chi 
foe, or Py chi kia lo, the name of which is interpreted simple, or complete 
intelligence, and represents the Sanscrit term Pratijeka Buddha, separate or 
distinct Buddha. Without entering upon the almost infinite distinctions 
which Buddhists have established in the different degrees of perfection at 
which it is possible to arrive by contemplation and the exercise of virtue, 

I shall here transcribe a passage from a sacred book which will explain the 
rank of the Pratyeka Buddhas in the Buddhist hierarchy. 

“ We call the five fruits, those fruits to which the Siu tho wan, the Sse 
tho han, the A na han, the A lo han, and the Py chi foe bear witness ; imply¬ 
ing that these five classes of men in passing through the world, do not tarry 
for the entire suppression of their moral imperfections before directing their 
souls towards the great purification, and culling the fruits of the (tree) 
bodhi, or reason." 

“ 1st. The first fruit is that of the soul whose return lasts eighty thousand 
kalpas ; it is obtained by the Siu tho wan, (Srotapanna ). Their name im¬ 
ports that they come by flowing; that is, that they have escaped from the 
general stream (of worldly beings) and have attained the stream of saints. 
They have cut the three knots (which bind the body to the three worlds) pass¬ 
ed the three inferior conditions (that of asuras, of brutes, and of the damned) 
and after having been born seven times among gods and men, delivered from 
all pain, they enter upon nirvana, or attain bodhi of the most exalted kind, 
above which there is nothing. 

2d. “ The second fruit is that of the soul whose return lasts sixty thousand 
kalpas. It is obtained by the Sse tho han (Sakridagdmi ). Their name 
signifies a going and coming, because after they are born once among men 
and once among the gods, they obtain the nirvana that makes perfect. They 
have suppressed the six classes of errors attached to the actions of the senses 
and the desires which these originate ; and after being re-born once among the 
gods or among men, they are delivered from all pain, and pass sixty thousand 
kalpas in nirvana, to obtain eventually supreme bodhi. 

3d. “ The third fruit is that of the soul whose return lasts forty thousand 
kalpas. It appertains to the A na han (Andgamih ) ; personages whose 
names signify that they 1 come no more that is, that they are not again 
born in the world of desires. They are emancipated from the five inferior 
bonds and the necessity of re-birth, so that after forty thousand kalpas, they 
obtain supreme bodhi. 

4th- “ Th t fourth fruit is that of the soul whose return lasts twenty thou¬ 
sand kalpas. It is the lot of the Arhans, who having suppressed all the 


CHAPTER XIV. 


95 


imperfections which are produced in the three worlds, of desires, of anger, of 
hatred and of ignorance, after twenty thousand kalpas, obtain supreme bodhi. 

5th. “ The fifth fruit is that of the soul whose return lasts ten thousand 
kalpas. It belongs to the Py chi foe (Pratyeka Buddhas), who obtain 
after ten thousand kalpas, the supreme bodhi they have merited by the 
suppression of the imperfections which arise from the desires of the three 
worlds, of rage, of hatred, and of ignorance. 

It would thus appear that there is no expressed difference between the 
deserts of the Pratyeka Buddhas and the Arhans. Another passage in the 
same book places the Pratyeka Buddhas in an intermediate station betwixt the 
Sravakas and the Bodhisattwas by reference to their progress in knowledge 
and the science which consists in contemplating the uninterrupted succession 
of the twelve nidanas , or conditions of individual existence, in recognising 
their continuous concatenation, and consequently the unreality of what is 
called birth and death, in destroying the errors of thought and vision, and 
ascending to the true condition of things, which is vacuity. More ample 
explanations regarding the Pratyeka Buddhas will be found hereafter.—R. 


CHAPTER XIV. 


Little Snowy Mountains.—Kingdom of Lo i.—Kingdom of Po na.—River Sin 

theou. 

In the second moon of the winter , 1 Fa hian and the rest passed 
to the south of the Little Snowy Mountains . 2 The snow gathers 
in these hills as well in summer as in winter. On their northern 
side the cold is excessive, and its severity is such that one is almost 
frozen. Only Hoe'i king, however, was unable to endure its 
rigour, and became unfit to proceed. A white foam issued 
from his mouth. He said to Fa hian—“ It is impossible that 
I should survive! Proceed at once; it must not be that we 
all perish here.” And thereupon he expired! Fa hian had 

* Sacred Book of the Nirvana, Ni phan king, quoted in the San tsang fa, sou, 
Book XXII. p. 3 verso. 




PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


96 

comforted him with all manner of consolation ; he wept for 
him, and regretted bitterly that their common project had 
proved so contrary to destiny ; but unable to help it, he 
gathered his remaining strength, and proceeding to the south of 
the chain , 3 arrived in the kingdom of Lo i* 

There are in this country three thousand ecclesiastics belong¬ 
ing both to the great and to the less translation. They halted 
and sojourned there; and when this sojourn was ended, they pro¬ 
ceeded to the south, and after a ten days’ march reached the king- 
dom of Po na.* 

In this kingdom also there are three thousand ecclesiastics, all 
attached to the less translation. Thence going to the east three 
days’ journey, you pass again the river Sin theou ,® on both sides 
of which is a smooth and level country. 

NOTES. 

(1) The second moon of winter. —If this date is set down according to 
the Chinese calendar, the spring commencing with the new moon nearest 
the day upon which the sun enters the 15° of Aquaries, the second moon 
of winter had begun two months before, that is to say, on the 5th December, 
omitting reductions. It is rather surprising that our pilgrims should under¬ 
take a journey across these snow-covered mountains at such a season ; nor 
is there any room for wonder at the accident that occurred to one of their 
number.—R. 

(2) The Little Snowy Mountains. —These can be no other than the range 
which bears at present the name of the Suleiman-koh, in Afghanistan. The 
denomination of the ‘ little mountains of snow' has no doubt reference to that 
of the Himalaya , following the meaning in the Sanscrit tongue then employed 
in those countries. It frequently occurs in the narrative of Hiouan thsang. R. 

(3) To the south of the chain.— Apparently in the district of Gandhara, 
where the mountains leave, as far as the Indus, a space free to the occupa¬ 
tion of the petty states of Lo i, and Po na , and which Fa hian traversed in 
the space of thirteen days.—R. 

(4) The kingdom of Lo i.— A country otherwise wholly unknown. Fa 
hian mentions no circumstance which would enable us to restore this geogra¬ 
phical name.—R. 

Professor Wilson suggests that this may refer to Lohita, a name found 
in the Mahabharata as that of a country, as is also that of Loha , the appel- 


CHAPTER XV. 


9 ? 


lation of a people in the north of India, associated with the Kambojas and 
others in the same locality and subdued by Arjuna. The principal tribes of the 
Afghans betwixt the Suleimani Hills and the Indus are known collectively 
as the Lohanis; and in them professor W. thinks we have Lohas of the 
Hindu geographers and the Lo i of the Chinese.* Capt. A. Cunningham 
identifies Lo i with the modern Roh , or liohi, another name for Afghanis- 
tan.f Roh is stated in Persian authors to be the original seat of the Af¬ 
ghans and to have extended in length from Sewad and Bijore to the town 
of Sui in the dominions of Bukharast.^ The word signifies in their lan¬ 
guage mountainous. Whatever may be the true restoration of Lo i, there 
can be no doubt that this kingdom was situated immediately south of the 
Sufed Koh.-J. W. L. 

(5) The kingdom of Po na. —Equally unknown.—R. 

Capt. A. Cunningham has identified the Pou na of our pilgrim with 
Banu, which is situated exactly three marches west of the Indus, as Fa hian 
states.—J. W. L. 

(6) The river Sin theou.—See Chap. VII. n. 2. The circumstance 
noted by Fa hian that the country on both banks of the river was level, 
shows that he speaks of the lower or the middle Indus. We have seen that 
this river should be crossed by our travellers about Bukker. The sequel of 
their itinerary will immediately confirm this supposition.—R. 


CHAPTER XV. 


The kingdom of Pi chha. 

On crossing the river you arrive at a kingdom named Pi chha . 1 
The doctrine of Foe is there honored and flourishing, both in 
the system of the great and in that of the less translation. The 
inhabitants were greatly touched to see among them travellers 2 
from the land of Thsin, and they thus addressed us : “ How 
became the people of the extremities of the earth acquainted 

* J. R. A. S. Vol. V. p. 120. 
f Ibid : Vol. VII. p. 243. 
i Stewart, Hist, of Bengal, p. 127. 

K 



98 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


with sanctified life and the practice of reason? and how come they 
thus far in quest of the Law of Foe ?” They gave us every thing 
necessary for our comfort, and treated us conformably with the 
prescriptions of the Law. 

NOTES. 

(1) A kingdom named Pi chha. —We may read Pi thou ; but I believe 
■we should substitute chha , or even thsa, for thou; and then we shall 
have a slightly aberrant transcription of the name which it is natural to 
look for in that neighbourhood, whether we imagine it employed in its Persian 
form in the dialects of the country ( Panjab ), or in its Sanscrit ( Panchala ). 
The position of the country admits of no doubt that this is the name that 
Fa hian picked up, and any discussion upon the point would be super¬ 
fluous.—R. 

If Fa hian and his companions had passed the Indus at Bukker, or Pukor , 
they could not have entered the Panjab, a country much farther to the 
north. It derives its name from the five great rivers, Behat or Jylum, 
Chenab, Ravi, Beyah, and Sutledge, which traverse it, and fall into the 
Indus more than fifty leagues above Bukker. Fa hian therefore entered 
Sinde and not the Panjab.—Kl. 

The rectification of Fa hian’s route removes M. Klaproth's difficulty. 
Moreover had Fa hian passed through the inhospitable desert as he must 
had he crossed the Indus at Bukker, he would scarcely have failed to record 
the difficulties and privations of such a journey, nor would he have de¬ 
scribed the country as abounding in small streams and watercourses.— 
J. W. L. 

(2) Travellers. —In the text men of the road. This expression signi¬ 
fies travellers, and not priests ofTao, as in Chap. IV. n. 1.—Kl. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


Kingdom of Mo theou lo.—River of Pou na. 

Proceeding thence towards the south-east, they travelled at 
least eighty yeou yan} They passed a great number of temples, 
in which there lived ecclesiastics amounting to many tens of 



chapter xyi. 


99 


thousands. 8 After passing all those places they came to a 
kingdom ; this kingdom is named Mo theou lo. 3 They followed 
also (the course of) the river Pou na . 4 On the right and on the 
left of this river there are twenty Seng Ida lan , which may 
contain three thousand ecclesiastics. The law of Foe begins again 
to be had in honor here. 5 

As soon as you leave the sands® and the river to the west, 
all the kings of the different kingdoms of India are firmly at - 
tached to the law of Foe, and when they render homage to the 
ascetics they first take off their tiaras. 8 They and the princes of 
their families, and their officers, present these with food with 
their own hands. When they have so presented them with food, 
they spread a carpet on the ground, and sit in their presence on 
a bench. In the presence of the clergy they would not dare to 
recline upon a couch. This custom, which these kings observe in 
token of respect, began at the time of Foe’s sojourn in the world, 
and has been continued ever since to the present time. 8 

The country to the south of this is called the Kingdom of the 
Middle. In the Kingdom of the Middle the cold and the heat 
are temperate and moderate each other : there is neither frost 
nor snow. The people live in abundance and in happiness. 
They know neither registers of the population, 9 nor magistrates, 
nor laws. Those who cultivate the lands of the king alone 
gather the produce. When any wish to depart, they depart; 
when they wish to stay, they stay. To govern them the 
kings require not the apparatus of (painful) punishments. If any 
one be guilty of a crime, he is simply mulcted in money, and 
in this they are guided by the lightness or the gravity of his 
offence. Even when by relapse a malefactor commits a crime, 
they restrict themselves to cutting off his right hand without 
doing him any further harm. The ministers of the king 
and those who assist to the right and to the left, all receive 
emoluments and pensions. The inhabitants of that country kill 
no living being; they drink no wine, and eat neither garlic nor 
We must except only the Chen chha lo ; u the name 
k 2 


onions. 


100 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


Chen chka lo signifies hateful . These have dwellings separate 
from other men. When they enter a town or a market they 
strike upon a piece of wood to make themselves known ; at this 
signal all the inhabitants avoid them, and secure themselves 
against contact. In this country they keep neither swine nor 
cocks. They sell no living animals ; there are in the markets 
neither shambles nor wine shops. For money they use shells. 12 
The Chen chha lo alone go to the chase, and sell meat. 

After the pan ni houari 5 of Foe, the kings, the grandees 
and the heads of families erected chapels for the clergy; they 
furnished them with provisions, and made them grants of lands 
and houses, and gardens and orchards, with husbandmen and 
cattle to cultivate them. The deeds of these donations are en¬ 
graved upon iron, 16 and no subsequent princes are at liberty to 
interfere with them in the slightest degree. This custom has 
been perpetuated to the present day without interruption. The 
ecclesiastics who reside in this country have houses to dwell in, 
beds and mattrasses to sleep upon, wherewithal to eat and drink, 
clothes, and in short every thing that they require, so that they 
lack nothing. It is the same every where. The priests are con¬ 
stantly engaged in good works and in acts of virtue. They ap¬ 
ply also to the study of the Sacred Books, and to contemplation. 
When foreign ecclesiastics arrive the elders meet and conduct 
them, carrying by turns their clothes and their pots. Xi They 
bring them water to wash their feet, oil to anoint them, and an 
extraordinary collation.' 9 After they have rested awhile, they 
are asked the number and the order of the sacrifices they have to 
perform ; and on arriving at the dwelling, they are left to repose, 
after being provided with every thing necessary for them accord¬ 
ing to the law. 

The places where the pilgrims halted are the tower of She li 
foe," the towers of Mou lian 18 and A nan , and the towers of the A 
pi than, 19 of the Precepts,* 0 and of the Sacred Books.*' After they 
had enjoyed repose for one month, all the people who hoped for 
happiness, exhorted them to betake again to their pious duties. 



CHAPTER XYI. 


101 


They prepared an extraordinary collation,* 8 when all the clergy held 
a great assembly and discoursed upon the Law. This conference 
ended, they proceeded to the tower of She li foe to make an ob¬ 
lation of all sorts of perfumes, and there kept the lamps burning 
the entire night. She li foe, was a brahman who came to Foe 
in order to embrace ascetic life. The same may be said of 
the great Mou lian and the great Kia che. The Pi /chieou ni 2i 
pay their devotions principally at the tower of A nan , because it 
was A nan who prayed the Honorable of the Age ,* 4 that he would 
grant to women the liberty of embracing ascetic life.* 5 There 
is also a (prescribed) order in which the Sha mi* 6 fulfil their re¬ 
ligious duties. Those who have a master of the A pi than , pay 
their homage to the A pi than ; those who have a master of the 
Precepts, honor the Precepts. Every year there is a service of 
this kind, and all of these have their day. The devotees of the 
Ma ho yan 27 pay their homage to Phan jo pho lo mi** to Wen 
chu sse li,* 9 to Kouan shi in,™ &c. 

The pilgrims received the presents which it is customary to make 
at the end of the year. 3 ' The elders, the officials, the brahmans 
and others presented them with dresses of different kinds, and 
all things essential to Samaneans, and which are offered in alms 
to the clergy. The pilgrims themselves in like manner presented 
alms. The rites and the ceremonies which that holy band 32 
perform have thus continued without interruption since the Ni 
houan of Foe. 33 

After passing the river Sin theou in going towards Southern 
India, there are forty or fifty thousand li 34 to the Sea of the South. 
There are every where plains, where one sees neither great 
mountains nor great rivers, but merely streamlets and water¬ 
courses. 


NOTES. 

(1) Four score yeou yam .—From the point where our pilgrims passed 
the Indus to Mathura are eight degrees of a great circle ; which gives ten 
yojanas to a degree.—It. 

k 3 


102 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


(2) Several tens of thousands. —As Fa hian enters upon no details re¬ 
garding these monks, and does not appear to have visited tlieir monasteries, 
we may infer that they did not belong to the Samanean religion, but were 
very probably attached to the brahmanical worship. Without some such 
supposition, it is not easy to explain how these pilgrims who traversed 
India purposly to visit temples where they could become acquainted with 
the minutiae of their faith, and who in other parts of their journey, describe 
almost topographically such objects as merited their pious regard, should 
have met with none such in all this space of one hundred and twenty leagues. 
This inference will be confirmed in note 5.—R. 

(3) Mo theou lo, —and in the narrative of Hiouan thsang Mo thou lo, is 
the most exact Chinese transcription that can be made of the word Ma- 
thurd. —R. 

It is still a town in the province of Agra, on the right bank of the Jumna. 
It is celebrated among the Hindus as the birth-place and earliest sojourn 
of Krishna, on which account it is a place of frequent pilgrimage amongst 
them.—Kl. 

(4) The river Pou na. —This name is greatly changed, but the position 
precludes mistaking the Jumna, or Yamuna , on the right bank of which is 
situated the town of Mathura. —R. 

It may be the transcription of the last two syllables of Jabuna, a provinci¬ 
al name of the Jumna.—J. W. L. 

(5) Begins again to be held in honour. —The Chinese text is susceptible 
of several interpretations ; the most natural appears to be, ‘ the law of Foe 
revives but this revival may be understood in two senses, as referring 
either to time or to space. We may suppose that after having been persecut¬ 
ed or neglected, the religion of Buddha began, at the time of Fa Ilian’s visit, 
to find a greater number of adherents; or that after having traversed coun¬ 
tries where Buddhism prevailed, then other countries where brahmanism 
predominated, the traveller found the former religion once more flourishing 
in the country of Mathura, at which he had arrived. The latter explanation 
appears to me the more probable ; for Fa hian expressly tells us that the 
observance of the ceremonies of Buddhism, and the privileges of its adhe¬ 
rents had continued without interruption since the nirvana of Sakya Muni. 
We have just remarked (note 2) that the tract of country passed over by 
our pilgrim since leaving the Indus was most probably inhabited by Hindus 
of the brahmanical sect, since he, whose quest was for objects associated with 
his own faith, had not found matter for a single observation, but passed 
over with so few words the space of eighty yojanas.—R. 

(6) The sands. —The great salt desert east of the Indus, and which must 
be crossed on proceeding direct from that river to central India.—R. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


103 


(7) Their tiaras ; —in the text, celestial or divine cap : that is, the orna¬ 
ment for a king’s head, a tiara, diadem, or crown. 

(8) To the present time. —This passage is very remarkable ; it shows us 
that in the fifth century Buddhism had lost nothing of its superiority over 
brahmanism, and that it had enjoyed this superiority since the time of Sakya 
Muni, i. e. the 10th century before Christ, according to Chinese chronolo¬ 
gy. Subsequent travellers, though animated with the same spirit as Fa hian, 
confess on the other hand that the Samanean religion began to show, in 
sundry places, symptoms of decline. Temples had fallen to ruin, cele¬ 
brated reliques had disappeared, the number of ecclesiastics had diminished 
in several monasteries, and those who yet remained were mingled with the 
heretics, or brahmans. The history of Indian Buddhism receives immense 
illustration from the comparison of these passages, which establish most 
important points in the chronology of these religions.—R. 

(9) Registers of population. —These registers are used in China to fix 
the poll-tax; hence our author reckons it among the advantages enjoyed by 
the Hindus that they had no census amongst them. 

(10) Garlick or onions. —Wine, garlick, and onions, are of the number 
of things from which Buddhists are, according to the fifth precept, to abstain. 
The five precepts are— 

1st. Not to kill any living being. 

2nd. Not to steal. 

3rd. Not to commit adultery. 

4th. Not to lie. 

5th. Not to drink wine. 

These five precepts answer to the five corresponding virtues ;—humanity, 
prudence, justice, sincerity, and urbanity.* 

Three others are added to these, making eight; 

6th. Not to sit on a large bed, or a large or lofty seat. 

7th. Not to wear.flowers or ribbons on your dress. 

8th. Not to become fond of songs, dances, comedies.f 

The two following are likewise enumerated, completing the number of ten. 

9th. Not to wear on the arms ornaments of gold or of silver. 

10th. Not to eat after noon. 

Such are the precepts which the aspirant to the rank of Samanean should 
observe. They are called ‘ the ten precepts of the ascetics.’X There is 
another enumeration which extends the number to two hundred and fifty, 
called sufficient , because they suffice for the full and perfect exercise of 
religious life. They are distributed in the following manner :— 

* Sang tsang fd sou, B. XXIII. p. 7 v. t Ibid. J Ibid, B. VII. p. 15 v. 


104 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA IIIAN. 


1st. Rules against Pho lo i (corruption, extreme wickedness). Four 
articles. 

2d. Rules against Seng kia pho shi sha; this Sanscrit word signifies 
‘ ruin of the Sanga ;* because whoever infringes these precepts is as one 
who had been assassinated ; his body ever lives, but he is nevertheless lost. 
Thirteen articles. 

3d. Indeterminate rules; two articles. 

The infraction of these articles is estimated either according to Pho lo i, 
or Seng kia pho shi sha, or Pho y thi (see below), and hence they are 
said to be indeterminate. 

4th. Rules relative to Ni sa khi and Pho y thi; thirty articles. The 
Sanscrit word Ni sa khi, signifies to abandon: the term is applied to the 
love of riches and to negligence, which lead to unwillingness to join the 
body of the Sangas. That of Pho y thi signifies to fall, intimating that if 
one does not abandon (the love of riches, &c.) befalls into hell. 

5th. Rules relative to Pho y thi, ninety articles. 

6th. Rules relative to Pho lo thi thi she ni, four articles. This word 
signifies to « repent in presence of some one.' According to the Seng khi liu, 
whatever faults have been committed should be acknowledged in open as¬ 
sembly. Hence this denomination. 

7th. Rules prescribed for the studies of mendicants. A hundred articles. 

8th. Rules for stifling controversies ; seven articles. These two hundred 
and fifty rules are enjoined for observance by monks and mendicants.* 

(11) The Chen chha lo. —There is no diflaculty in recognising in this 
transcription the Sanscrit word Chandala, the second syllable of which is 
altered by the substitution of a palatial for a dental, as we have had occasion 
to observe before in the representation of Sanscrit words by Chinese charac¬ 
ters. The Buddhists seem to have partaken the contempt with which the 
brahmans regarded the Chandalas , ‘ the lowest of mortals/ as Menu cha¬ 
racterises them.t Wilson explains this word to mean hateful , as in the Foe 
koue ki. The Chinese pretend that it signifies a butcher , also scevum signum, 
because individuals who exercise the vocation of butcher and perform other 
wicked acts are compelled when they go abroad to ring a bell or hold up a 
piece of bamboo, that they may be readily recoguised. There are five classes 
of persons from whom ecclesiastics ought to be careful to avoid seeking 
alms: 1st. Singers and comedians, who think of nought but jesting and 
merriment, and who disturb contemplation. 2d. Women of bad character, 
whose conduct is impure and whose reputation is bad, who are abandoned to 
libertinage, and who shut the good way. 3d. Dealers in wine; for wine leads 

* San tsangfa sou B. VII. p. 15. t Menu, Chap. X. 12, 16. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


105 


to all vice, excesses, and crimes. 4th. Kings, because their palaces are full 
of courtiers and attendants who interdict access, and whom it is necessary 
to avoid offending. 5th. Finally Chen tho lo , or Chen chha lo, ( Chandalas ,) 
that is butchers who delight in killing and tormenting living beings, and 
who in destroying sensibility, destroy virtue and good inclinations.—R. 

It is known that the Chandalas pass for the mixed descendants of Sudras 
with females of the brahman caste.—Kl.* 

The following account of the origin of the Chandalas, is from a Burmese 
work, the Dhammathat, a Buddhist edition of the Laws of Menu, recently 
published at Maulmain. “ In former times, before the god (Gaudama) ap¬ 
peared, a most wicked young brahman killed his wife ; and at the time of the 
murder his fellow brahmans consulted together and agreed on, that this 
young brahman had committed a crime which no one else had committed, 
and what they should do with him ; so having shaved his head, they turned 
him out of society, and caused him to be called Tsandala , and from that the 
Tsandala class became a distinct one for the most wicked incorrigible brah¬ 
mans. ”f 

In the same work we find the following statement of the “ nine kinds of 
brahmans. 1st. Those who live on alms in the jungle, who do not take 
wives, or accumulate property, called brahma-tsa-ree • 2d. Those who take 
wives, but live on alms, called brahmanah ; 3d. The class from which kings 
are taken, called khat-te-ya; 4th. Those who support themselves by trade, 
and do not take alms, called da ya; 5th. Those who support their families 
by agriculture and who do not receive alms, besha; 6th. Those of pure 
descent, yek-khi-ta • 7th. Those who are of loose habits, ba-ra-dwa-za; 
8th. Those who have broken the rules of their caste, degraded men, who 
have been turned out of the society of brahmans, called tsan-da-la ; 9th. 
Those who have left their families and subjected themselves to privations, 
ta-pa-thee. Under these nine classes, many are included *, the Burman, 
the Kula, the Talien brahman, the Kalay and the Hindu brahmin,” &c.+ It 
is curious to observe how generally the brahmans are spoken of by the Chi¬ 
nese and other foreigners as a nation or tribe and not as the priestly order. 
A brahman Buddhist , however incongruous the terms now appear, is an ex¬ 
pression that occurs oftener than once, and sounds not less strange than 
the Tsandala brahman in the foregoing passage.—J. W. L. 

(12) Shells. —M. Remusat had translated this passage, ‘ Shells and teeth ,’ 
and he adds a note, “ I translate it according to the correction of the Plan 

* As, Res, Vol. I. _ Qrt 

+ Dhammathat, translated by D. Richardson, Esq. p. 130. 
j Ibid. p. 317. 


106 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


i tian. The text of the Foe koue ki is evidently erroneous. The shells here 
spoken of are the cyprcea moneta (cowries) which are used as current money 
in India.” Nevertheless there is not any difference between the text of the 
Plan i tian, and that of the Foe koue ki; they both import, “ to carry on 
commerce ; to make use of shells.” The term Pei clihi , is employed to 
designate those shells employed as money, which are described in the 
great Japanese Encyclopedia as “ shells with denticulations resembling 
the teeth of fishes.”—KI. 

(13) The pan ni houan of Foe. —This expression has been explained 
already, Chap. XII. note 3. We gather from the traditions here preserved 
by Fa hian, that Buddhism had not suffered in Central India from the rivalry 
of brahmanism, for fourteen centuries after its institution.—R. 

(14) Engraved upon iron. —Deeds conveying grants of land {grantha) 
to Buddhist temples, are the most ordinary subject of inscriptions found in 
India. Such in particular are those translated by Mr. Wilkins ;* that which 
M. Burnouf has published, and many of those in the collection of Col* 
Mackenzie. These grants are engraved upon copper or some other metal.—R. 

(15) Their dresses and their pots. —That is their entire baggage.f—R. 

(16) An extraordinary collation. —Literally 4 an unseasonable broth / 
What the Buddhists call time in reference to meals, is thus explained: 
the time of the Gods is the early morning, the hour chosen by the Gods 
to take their repast. The time of the law is noon, the hour selected 
by the Buddhas, past, present, and to come for their refection. The time 
of brutes is evening, when animals feed. The time of the genii is night, du¬ 
ring which good and evil spirits eat .% Thus all meals taken after mid-day 
are unseasonable for ecclesiastics, and all who observe the precepts rigorously 
abstain from such. Those however who are sick observe no distinction, but 
eat when they please.§ Breakfast is called among ecclesiastics Chai, 
{abstinence,) and supper, Fei chi, {unseasonableness.) Buddha has recom¬ 
mended all his disciples to observe the kia lo, that is, the veritable (time), 
and to avoid the San mo ye, or false (Fei chi.) The present unseasonable 
collation seems to have been given to our travellers on account of the fatigues 
they had undergone; but the same expression occurs again further on, in a 
passage which seems more difficult of explanation.—R. 

(17) She li foe, whom they likewise name She li tseu ; in the former 
the last syllable is the Chinese transcription of the Indian termination of the 
original name, Sariputra, which signifies the son of the Indian crane, so 

* As. Res. Vol. 1. 
t See Chap. XII, note 8, 
t San tsang fa sou B, XIX, p. 4 v. 

§ Jap. Encyc. B. CV. p. 15. 



CHAPTER XVI. 


107 


called because tbe eyes of his mother resembled those of that bird.* He 
was one of the principal disciples of Sakya Muni, and the one who excelled 
in Prajna, or divine knowledge, in which he was instructed by Avalo- 
kiteswara.—R. 

(18) Mou lian. —Another disciple of Sakya, reckoned amongst the most 
considerable. He is distinguished by the epithet great. His title is Tsun 
che, equivalent to Arya. —R. 

(19) A pi than, or more correctly, A pi tha mo (Abhidarma), is the name 
given to the last of the three classes in which the sacred books are arranged, 
which contain the discourses, or conversation. These three classes are call¬ 
ed the * three comprehensives in Chinese, San tsang; in Mongolian, Gour- 
han aimak saba,f and in Tibetan, s Desnod g soum. The words employed 
in these several languages, signify a vase, or receptacle, and are equivalent to 
the Sanscrit Pitaka, or Kiu she (kocha).J This name is given them because 
they contain , include, embrace, the various religious works mentioned in 
the three following classes : 

1st. Sieou tho lo (Sutra). These are the principles or aphorisms which 
constitute the basis of the doctrine, the authentic and invariable texts (in 
Chinese king) ; in Tibetan this sense of immobility is rendered h gyour. These 
texts include, above, the doctrine of the Buddhas; below, the duties, or 
faculties of all living beings. 

2d. Pi nai ye (Vinaya). This word signifies, precepts, rules, laws, or 
ordonnances, or literally good government, such as should overrule the bad 
qualities of living beings, as worldly laws serve to restrain faults, whether 
more or less serious. The Tibetan word £Kah, expresses this meaning, and 
united to the Tibetan title of the sacred books, forms the compound b Kah- 
h Gyour, which is the title of the most celebrated collection commonly 
called Gandjour. The Precepts are called in the same collection h Dul ba, 
books of conversion, of changing evil to good ; in Mandchou Weniboure no 
moun, and in Mongolian, JDzinai. 

[M. Csoma De Koros explains bKah-hGyur to mean translation of com¬ 
mandment, because these works were translated from the Indian originals 
into Tibetan. See page 3.]—J. W. L. 

3d. A pi tha mo (Abhidarma). This word signifies discourse, conversa¬ 
tion ; these are, according to a Buddhist work (the Iu kia lun), treatises in 
which, by means of questions and answers, a deliberate choice may be made 
regarding the different procedures indicated by the law. The Abhidhar- 

* San tsang fa sou B. XLI. p. 13. 
t Geschichte der ost Mongolen, pp. 41—45. 
j Sun tsang fa sou B. VIII. p. 2. 


108 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


mas are called in Tibetan T sios radon pa, or the manifested law ; in Mand- 
chou, Iletou nomoun. 

The works of these three classes are divided into two species, as they hap¬ 
pen to appertain to the great or the less translation . Among the Sutras of 
the great translation are quoted the Hoa yan, and other sacred texts which 
treat only of Bodhi, or Intelligence conceived in the world of the law, 
teaching and expounding the g^>od actions of the Bodhisattwas of the Maha 
yana, and making manifest the fruits of moral conduct. The Vinayas 
belonging to the same translation are like the Fan hang, (Bramajala, the 
thread of Brahma), books in which the laws are recorded as observed by 
the Bodhisattwas of the great translation. Lastly, amongst the Ahhidharmas 
of the same class are cited the Khi sin lun (Discourse to give birth to faith) 
and other controversial works upon the conduct of Bodhisattwas of the 
Maha yana. 

Among the sutras of the less translation are cited the Agama, and other 
sacred works, in which the nature of the veritable void (spirit) and repose 
or annihilation (extacy) are treated of to explain the practice of the 
Sravakas and Pratyekas, and its fruits. Agama is a Sanscrit word signi¬ 
fying peerless. Among the Vinayas are included the rules for the four 
sections (sse fen leu) that is to say, for the conduct of mendicants, male and 
female, for the observation 'of the precepts , and for the extinction of disputes 
The discourses entitled kiu che ( kocha , that which embraces, contains; in 
Chinese tsang) are cited as belonging to the class of Abhidarmas of the less 
translation; they enlarge upon the conduct and merits of the Sravakas, 
Pratyekas, and Buddhas. 

Another work, after defining the word Tsang (that which contains 
or includes a law and an immense significance ), distinguishes five of these. 
1st. The Sou ta lan, (Sutram) or Sieou to lo, immutable doctrine to which 
all at once conform in the ten worlds, and of which not a tittle changes in the 
three times. 2d. The Pin nai ye (Yinaya) or rules. 3d. The A pi tha mo 
(Abhidarma), or discourses. 4th. Pan jo pho lo mi to {Prajna paramita, 
the arrival on the other shore by knoivledge.) Men far separated from 
knowledge and detained within the circle of life and death, are designated 
as being on this shore; the Bodhisattwas who practise the prajna, and 
attain nirvana, are on the other shore. According to the sacred books that 
being endowed with sensibility who applies himself to the true and solid 
science of the Maha yana, emancipates himself from the condition of self; 
and the subtilties by which he attains this object constitute the Prajna 
paramita. 5th. Tho lo ni ( Dharani ) that is to say, what one takes, invoca¬ 
tion, mysterious formula. It means also that which, when a man cannot 



CHAPTER XVI. 109 

understand or observe the sutras, serves for his regulation and diminishes 
the weight of committed sin, procures deliverance sooner or later, and con¬ 
ducts to nirvana equally the ignorant and the enlightened man. 

In general the Prajna paramitas and the Dharanis are not reckoned 
among the sacred books known by the title San tsang, or the Three Collec¬ 
tions. This expression frequently occurs, and is found in the title of the 
work from which the principal part of these explanations is derived, namely, 
the San tsang fa sou, literally the numbers oft he law of the three receptacles; 
because the substance of the sacred books is there distributed according to 
the subdivisions ascribed to each psychological notion. This title might be 
in Sanscrit Tri pitaka dharma sankhya. Many other and more particular 
classifications of these religious works will be found in the notes referring 
to those passages in which our Buddhist travellers speak of such as they had 
collected in their travels. 

The custom of erecting towers for preserving the original of a sacred 
book, as well as for depositing a relique, or perpetuating the remembrance of 
some prodigy, is established by the passage which gives rise to this note. 
There were at Mathura the tower of the Abhidarmas, that of the Vinayas, 
and that of the Sutras .—R. 

(20) The Precepts. —That is the Vinayas. There are three kinds of 
precepts. 1st, The Pi ni (Vinaya) ; this word signifies bonum regimen. It 
is applied to that which is capable of regulating the desires, anger, ignorance, 
and other imperfections. It expresses the ideas of moderation and sub¬ 
mission ; because by the help of these precepts we may temper and restrain 
the three acts; that is, those of the body, the mouth, and the will ; and 

i govern and subjugate all evil propensities. 2d. Shi lo (Shila), that which 
' stays or restrains (evil), and renders capable (of good) ; or simply prohibi¬ 
tion, that which suppresses the vicious acts of the body, the mouth, and the 
will. 3d. Pho lo thi mou sha (Para adhi muksha) or deliverance, be- 
I cause these precepts remove the bonds of wicked inclination, and render 
man master of himself.—R. 

(21) The Sacred Books. —The word king in Chinese signifies that which is 
invariable; it conveys the idea of constant doctrine, ‘ revealed text/ Every 
sect introduced into China has borrowed this term from the school of the 
literati, who apply it only to the works compiled by Confucius. The Bud¬ 
dhists apply it particularly to the Sutras, because according to the explana¬ 
tion given in one of these books, they * constitute law and are invariable/ 
They are conformed to in the ten worlds and are unchanged by the three times. 
The ten worlds are those of the Buddhas, the Bodhisattwas, the Pratyeka 
Buddhas, the Sravakas, the gods, men, asuras, demons of hunger {pre- 

la 



110 


pilgrimage of fa hian. 


tdh), and brutes ; and the infernal regions. The three times are the past, the 
present, and the future.—R. 

(22) An extraordinary collation. —We have seen the explanation of this 
expression, which here seems somewhat out of place. It is not easy to 
understand why our travellers, invited by devout persons to resume their 
religious exercises, should prepare themselves for a theological conference by 
an infraction of the enjoined observances of their profession, such as taking 
meals at other than conventual hours. The passage appears to require 
correction ; but it is the same in each of the copies that I have access to. R. 

(23) The Pi Ichieou ni, —the feminine of Pi khieou (Bhikshutii). After 
Sakya had accomplished the law, his aunt Maha pho she pho ti (. Mahdprajd - 
pati) Tadi tao (the friend of religion), sought permission to embrace religious 
life and study the doctrine. Sakya was unwilling to consent to this, when 
Ananda pressed him to permit it. Buddha replied, “Be careful; do not 
permit females to enter upon my law and become Samaneans ; when there 
are more daughters than sons in any family, you know that that family falls to 
ruin and can never regain its splendor/' Anan<ja renewed his importunity, 
when Buddha expounded to him what have been called the eight respectful 
procedures. “ If they can observe these/’ added he, “ I consent that they 
should become ascetics/’ The following are the eight respectful procedures 
imposed upon women by Buddha : 

1st. A female ascetic, though a hundred years of age, owes respect to a 
monk, though he be in the very first year of his profession. 

2d. A female ascetic should manifest respect towards mendicants, and 

never insult or calumniate them. • 

3d. If a monk happen to commit a sin, the female ascetic should not 
commend him ; but if a female ascetic sin, and hear the praises of a monk, 
she should turn, in self-examination, to herself. 

4th. She should receive the precepts from aSanga, or from some mendicant 
of exemplary virtue, to whom she should apply for that purpose. 

5th. If she have sinned and feel herself unworthy to continue in the 
society of mendicants, she should humble herself, confess her fault, and put 
away pride and negligence. 

6th. She should receive during half a month the instructions of the San- 
ga, and should apply twice each month to a mendicant of distinguished 
virtue for such instruction as shall promote her progress in the doctrine. 

7th. She should, during the three summer months, abstain from repose 
and attach herself night and day to mendicants ; inquiring of them concern¬ 
ing the meaning of the law, and increasing her knowledge with a view to 
its practical application. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


Ill 


8th. After the three summer months have elapsed, from the 15th day 
of the 4th moon to the 15th of the 7th, she should follow mendicants to 
improve herself by the example of others, and if she commit any sin, she 
should repent and confess before all.* 

The eight crimes by which female ascetics prove that they have abandoned 
the precepts, and should therefore themselves be abandoned by the world, 
as out of the pale of the law of Buddha, are these: 1st. Taking away the 
life of any living being, as all such beings cling to their body and existence ; 
causing them pain and torturing them, instead of showing compassion for 
them. 2d. Stealing that which belongs to another ; abandoning one’s-self to 
avarice; taking instead of giving. 3d. Committing impurities. The 
female ascetic who knows not how to defend herself by the rites and pro¬ 
tect herself by the precepts, conceives desire, and soils the purity which 
should preside over her conduct. 4th. Lying, concealing the truth, and 
deceiving others by crafty words. 5th. Permitting contact; this is said of 
a female ascetic who allows herself to touch the person of a man, which 
originates impure desires. 6th. The eight; committing any of the eight fol¬ 
lowing acts: taking a man by the hands from any improper desire, touching 
his clothes, going with him to any retired place, sitting and conversing with 
him there, walking there with him, leaning against each other, and making 
criminal assignations. 7th. Covering or concealing ; that is, when in the 
assembly where the precepts are expounded and the law observed, the female 
ascetic conceals the sins of others, and is unwilling to disclose her own. 8th. 
Following or resting upon; that is, not performing service in common at the 
great assembly of the Sangas, and following some private society. 

(24) The Honorable of the Age .—This is one of the ten surnames given 
to human Buddhas, and of course to Sakya Muni among the rest. A 
Buddha, by the sublime science (Prajna) and the other perfections he has 
attained to, extinguishes desire, anger, ignorance, and every other imperfec¬ 
tion,—the sorrows of life, as well as those of death, and obtains an intelli¬ 
gence transcending that of all others. Gods and men, all the saints, as well 
in the world as beyond it, recognise and honor him as the Venerable. This 
is the meaning of the Sanscrit surname Lokajyestha; the Tibetan translation 
of which is n Djig rien gyi gtso bo. f—R. 

(25) According to the Japanese chronology, entitled, Wa kan kwo to fen 
nen gakf oun-no tsou , preserved in the Bibliotheque du Roi, She li foe and 
Mou lain, embraced monastic life in 995 B. C. According to the same 

» Fan i ming y, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, B. XXXII. p. 17. 

Vocab . pentagl. Sect. I. No. 11. 
b 2 






112 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


work, A nan, or Ananda, was instructed by Sakya Muni, became a monk 
in 975 B. C. and in 970 entreated his master to grant to women the privi¬ 
lege of becoming ascetics.—Kl. 

(26) The Sha mi. —This is the name given to the disciples or aspirants 
of the religious profession. It is rendered by two words, which signify to 
soothe or compassionate ; to compassionate the sufferings of all living beings 
and to afford them assistance.* The more regular form of the word is she 
li ma li lo kia, but it is more usually employed in the abridged form Sha 
mi. The Sha mi must observe the ten precepts ,f and when they have re¬ 
ceived the ‘ sufficient precepts ' that is the two hundred and fifty r they are 
reputed Bhikshus. Different names are given to the Sha mis according to 
age. From seven to twelve or thirteen, they are called * hunters of ravens * 
from fourteen to nineteen, { peculiar disciples of the law from twenty and 
upwards they obtain a name or title. $ They must then suppress all evil 
inclinations, and practise every virtue, when they merit the title of Sha mi, 
that is Sha mi, as strictly defined. The word Shabi, which means disciple 
in Mand chou, is apparently derived from the Chinese Sha mi. Females 
bear the name of Sha mi ni , or more exactly Sha li ma li kia, which ex¬ 
presses their efforts to advance in the doctrines of Buddha. The author of 
the translation of the rules of the Sha mi, has made a singular mistake in 
taking the latter word as the equivalent of Sha men ( Sramana ) even in the 
title page of his work ( Catechism of the Shamans .)—R. 

(27) Ma ho yam —the transcription of the Sanscrit word, Mahdyana, 
the great translation. The clergy of the great translation are termed 
Mahayana deva ; those of the less, Moksha deva (delivered gods.)—R. 

(2 S)Phanjopho lo mi: —an imperfect transcription of the Sanscrit 
prajna par omit a, the act of attaining the other shore by science. Paramita 
is one of the ten means of final deliverance. The several religious books in 
which this divine science is inculcated are called Prajna paramita. These 
are ascribed to Manjusri Avalokiteswara (see next note.)—R. 

(29) Wen chu sse li, —in Sanscrit Manjusri. The Chinese pretend that 
there are three modes of writing and interpreting this name; 1st. Wen 
chu sse li, * marvellous virtue ;' the being whom they so designate being en¬ 
dowed with admirable, subtle, infinitely varied, and innumerable merits. 2d. 
Man chu she li, ‘ admirable head or chief,' because by his wondrous, subtle, 
and infinite merits he is above all the Bodhisattwas. 3d. Man chu she li, 
i admirable benediction,' (a formula of praise, adoration, or a happy omen) 

* San tsang fa sou, B. VII. p. 16 v, 
t See note 10. 
i See note 1. Chap. I, 


CHAPTER XVI. 


113 


because by reason of those same merits his name is the happiest of auspices.* 
But there is reason to suppose that in transcribing in different Chinese 
characters the same Sanscrit word, they have, as is often the case, sought for 
meanings and allusions, and fortuitous coincidences and plays of words which 
the true etymology does not sanction. Manjusri signifies in Sanscrit the happy 
Sri, and Sri is the expression used in blessing gods and saints. The same 
personage is also called Manja ghosha, 1 the happy sound/ ‘ the happy 
voice/ The Tibetans name him hDjam dVyang. He is the mythological 
god of wisdom.f 

He formerly animated the great golden tortoise before the beginning of 
the universe, whose foundations rest upon that tortoise ; and he will at some 
future period again appear in the world as its governor .% He is the great 
Demiourgos, the Viswakarma , the architect who, by the orders of the su¬ 
preme Buddha, erected the different mansions, as well celestial as infernal, 
which constitute a universe. § 

This would be quite sufficient to explain the theological part assigned to 
! Manjusri, were my present object to give a sketch of the Buddhist pantheon ; 
but the extracts from Chinese books which are necessary to explain and elu¬ 
cidate this discussion will show how entirely philosophical ideas are denat- 
turalized in mythology and lost sight of by legendary authors. 

“ Buddha, (Sakya Muni) traversed one day the mountains Khi che hhiu, 
in the country Lo yue khi, (Rajagriha) with an immense multitude of men- 
: dicants, consisting of 1250 bhikshu and 32,000 Bodhisattwas. The Honor¬ 
able of the Age was encompassed by an infinite assemblage of his adherents, 
reckoning by hundreds and by thousands. In the assembly was then seated 
| a S on of the Gods (Devaputra) named Tsi shun lin in (. Inquiete obsequens 
I praceptorum voci vel vox qniete prceceptis obsequens ) who rising from 
his seat, and performing a long genuflexion and joining together his 
hands, addressed the Honorable of the Age and said : “ Where is the present 
1 habitation of Manjusri ?” The whole assembly, all those who compose the 
four classes, that is the male mendicants and the female, the Upasika and 
the Upayi, as also the gods, the nagas, the good and evil genu, Brahma, 
Indra, and the four kings of the gods, longed ardently to hear the wondrous 
communication of the veritable master and to receive his expositions of the 
Sacred Books. Buddha replied, that towards the east, at the distance of ten 
thousand Buddhic worlds from this, that is to say, ten thousand times 


* San tsang fa sou, B. XI. p. 3. v. 
t Schroeter, Bootan Dictionary .. 
j Sammburg Historischer Nachricht, Vol. 11. p. oo. 
$ Hodgson’s Sketch of Buddhism . 

L 3 




114 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


the space of the world to which extended the happy influences of the preach¬ 
ing of a Buddha, there was a world named Pao shi , (precious family per¬ 
haps Ratneya) where a Buddha named Pao ing jou lai (preliosi terminus 
Tathagata ) a pure and highly exalted intelligence, even then preached 
the doctrine, and that Manjusri was there listening to the instructions of the 
great master of all Bodhisattwas, who taught them to estimate their imper¬ 
fections.” The son of the gods once more addressed Buddha: “ I would, 
oh mighty saint! that by an act of your power and goodness you would 
cause Manjusri to appear here, that he may instruct us in the means by 
which he expounds the doctrine of the sacred books, and enlightens with 
so lovely a light whatever difficulty is met with in them as to excel 
all the Sravakas and the Pratyeka Buddhas. When Manjusri preaches the 
great law every demon is subjugated, every error that may deceive man is 
dissipated, and there is not a heretic but returns to his duty. Already, Oh 
Tathagata ! all exalt supreme truth ; if your instructions be fortified by his 
holy teaching, the duration to the true law will be extended. Never has the 
Tathagata been assisted by an auxiliary so versed in the Prajna, so endowed 
with high faculties, so able to spread abroad and publish the doctrine, as 
Manjusri .’* According to the wish of the son of the gods, Tsi shun liu in, 
the Honorable of the Age, caused to flash from the down betwixt his eyebrows 
a ray of light which illumined the three thousand millions of universes and 
Buddhic worlds, and made the tour of ten thousand of those worlds, shed¬ 
ding a brilliant light over the world, Pao shi. The Bodhisattwas of that 
Buddhic world asked of their Buddha whence came this light, and what 
might be the cause of the prodigy ? The Tathagata Pao ing replied, “To¬ 
wards the west, after passing ten thousand Jcshma of Buddhas there is 
a world called the world of patience (Savaloka); its Buddha is called the 
Tathagata, capable of goodness (Sakya), a pure intelligence arrived at the 
supremacy of truth. At this instant he is preaching the law. A ray has 
emanated from the interval of his eyebrows, and in illuminating ten thou¬ 
sand Buddhic worlds it has reached even this kshma .” “And what may 
be the wish of this LoJcajyestha ?” replied the Bodhisattwas. “ Hundreds 
of thousands and millions without number of Bodhisattwas are assembled 
with this Buddha,” replied the Buddha, “ with the Indra and the Brahma of 
the world, and the four tribes ; and all ardently desire that Manjusri would 
be pleased to show himself to them and expound the law. They have im¬ 
parted their desire to the Buddha, who by this ray of light has engaged 
Manjusri to go. And thou,” continued the Tathagata Pao ing, addressing 
Manjusri, “ go to the world where the Tathagata, capable of goodness, awaits 
thee, and where innumerable Bodhisattwas sigh for thy presence.” “ I 


CHAPTER XVI. 


115 


too,” replied Manjusri, “ have recognised the miraculous ray.” And 
thereupon he paid homage to the Buddha Pao ing, and accompanied by 
ten thousand Bodhisattwas, passed three times to his right, and, stretch¬ 
ing forth his arms like a valorous general, disappeared suddenly from the 
leshma Pao shi. In less than no time he found himself in the land of pa¬ 
tience ; and sustaining himself unseen in space, he let fall a shower of celes¬ 
tial flowers upon the assembly, reaching to their knees. Astonished at this 
prodigy, they all asked of Buddha what meant this fall of flowers ? Buddha 
advised his relations and those about him that it was Manjusri who thus 
signified his advent with 10,000 Bodhisattwas, in conformity with his orders* 
and who from mid-air, rained down flowers in honor of his dignity. “ Oh, 
how we long,” exclaimed the assembly, “ to behold Manjusri and the 
Bodhisattwas ! What unutterable happiness to gaze upon that veritable 
master l” They had not finished speaking ere Manjusri and the Bodhisat¬ 
twas showed themselves and were prostrate at the feet of Buddha. They 
circumambulated him seven times, and by the supernatural power with 
which they were endowed, they caused large nymphseas to blow, on which 
they seated themselves. Then the son of the Gods, Tsi shun lin in, said 
to Buddha that he desired from Manjusri such explanations regarding 
holy instruction as were necessary to assist the uncertain progress of the as¬ 
sembly. “ Explain your thoughts,” said Buddha, “ and your questions shall 
be resolved.” Then the son of the gods propounded a series of questions, 
which Manjusri amply satisfied, on the perfections of the Buddha whom he 
had just left, on the principle of truth, on the progress of religious mendi¬ 
cants, on the nature of the soul, and so forth.” This theological conference 
is exceedingly curious, inasmuch as it touches upon the most recondite 
dogmas of Buddhism, the exposition of which is referred to an exalted Bud¬ 
dha, and placed in the mouth of divine wisdom itself. But it embraces 
matter of great obscurity, and as it extends to twenty-eight pages, I must 
reserve it to a future occasion.—R. 

(30) Kouan shi in .—Another personage of Buddhist mythology, less 
celebrated, but better known than Manjusri. Under the form here seen his 
name signifies in Chinese vox conlemplans sceculum ; but this is a transla¬ 
tion of the Sanscrit Avalokiteswara, which, although generally admitted in 
China, rests upon a mistake indicated by M. Klaproth.* The first authors 
who transcribed this name in their language, have taken the final iswara for 
swara, vox , sound. The true Chinese interpretation is Kouan tseu tsa'i, the 
contemplative lord. They give to this mythological personage a host of names. 
In Sanscrit he is called Padma pani, the bearer of the nymphaea; in Tibetan 

* Nouveau Journal Asiatique, Vol. VII. p. 190. 





116 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA IIIAN. 


s Djan ras gZigs dVang tcchong ; in Mongol Ergetou khomsun bodisatou. 
In the Buddhist system for the exposition of which we are indebted to Mr. 
Hodgson, Padmapani is the Bodhisatwa, or active product of the fourth 
heavenly Buddha Amitabha, the creator of the present world, or at least of 
its animated inhabitants ; for the creation of the material world passes for 
the work of Manjusri. According to another system, Padmapani, the celestial 
progeny of the divine Buddha of the present world, has in this quality en¬ 
tered upon his functions since the death of the terrestrial Buddha Sakya 
Muni, as his substitute, charged with the perpetual guardianship and propa¬ 
gation of the Buddhist faith revived by Sakya. It is for this reason that 
he is not limited to a single appearance, as the Buddhas, but he submits 
almost without interruption to a succession of births, which are to last till 
the advent of Maitreya, the future Buddha. It is further believed that he 
is incarnate in the Dalai Lama, and that he will appear in the character of 
Buddha for the thousandth part of the present age of the world. Tibet is his 
chosen land ; he is the father of its inhabitants, and the celebrated formula, 
Om mani padma hom, is one of his blessings.* The system to which this 
account of the part played by Avalokiteswara belongs, requires confirmation 
in various points; and for example, it does not appear whether it is to the 
order of philosophic ideas, or to the class of myths that we are to refer the 
supposition that in arriving at the perfection of Buddhahood, a Tathagata 
creates in the world of manifestions, a sort of reflex ( Abglanz ) of himself who 
is a Buddha of contemplation {Buddha dhyani ) and that of such is born a 
Bodhisattwa like as Avalokiteswara. I shall not at present enter upon this 
theological labyrinth, but following the plan perscribed to myself I shall tran¬ 
scribe a few Chinese legends regarding the personage spoken of by Fa hian. 

“ In former times, ten quadrillion times a hundred quadrillions of Kal- 
pas ago (the less Kalpa consists of 16,800,000 years, and the great here 
spoken of is a thousand and three hundred and forty-four millions of years) 
in a world named Shan thi lan, and in a Kalpa named the well kept (i. e. 
the precepts well observed,) there was a holy king Chakravarti, named Wou 
tseng nian , who reigned over the four quarters of the world. It was then 
that the Tathagata Pao tsang ( Rutnagarhha ) appeared in the world. The 
king had a thousand sons, the eldest of whom was named Pou hiuan (non - 
oculos movens: animisha?) and the second Nimo. His minister, Pao hat, 
(Ratnakara) was the father of the Tathagata Pao tsang. This minister 
exhorted the king, his sons, their relatives and allies, as also an infinite 
number of men and gods, to give their thoughts to Bodhi (Buddhic perfec¬ 
tion), so that all might attain in the ten parts of the universe the rank of 

* Shin i tian, B. XCVM. p. 24, 


CHAPTER XVI. 


117 


pure intelligences. That minister, Pao hat, is the Sakya Tathagata of the 
present time. Then the king and his thousand sons paid homage to the 
Tathagata, and attaching themselves to that Buddha, embraced religious life 
and cultivated the doctrine. Buddha changed the name of the king to Wou 
liang thsing tsing {immensa puritas; Amitasudhi ?), and assigned him the 
dignity of Buddha, with the title Wou liang sheou (Amitabha) in the western 
world of the Au lo (in Sanscrit, Sukhavati, the abode of tranquil joy .) Then 
the eldest son, Pou hiuan, thus addressed the Buddha : “ Honorable of the 
Age ! my good dispositions, my contemplations and my vows, all tend towards 
the practice of the doctrine of the supreme Bodhi. The evils which afflict all 
beings, the terrors of which they are the prey and which divert them from the 
right path, their fall into the abode of darkness, the endless agony that torments 
them without hope of delivery or protection, cause them to invoke my name 
and my power. But their sufferings, patent to my celestial ken, and sensible 
to my ears, and which I cannot alleviate, disturb me so as to impede my 
progress towards pure intelligence. Honorable of the Age ! permit me to 
renew a vow which I have heretofore made in behalf of all those beings. The 
holy king Chakravarti has now become Buddha in the world of Tranquil 
Joy, under the title of Wou liang sheou (Amitabha). When, after an infi¬ 
nite number of Kalpas, he shall have accomplished his work of Buddha, he 
will enter the pan ni houan , and the law will be strictly observed. During 
this time I must fulfil the lot of Bodhisattwa ; if I could accomplish the work 
of Buddha from the first night on which his immediate law shall be extinct, 
on the next night I shall attain Buddhahood.” Then the Buddha, Pao 
tsang , assigning him the function he aspired to, replied ; “ Excellent young 
man ! Thou hast reflected on men and gods, and the three bad conditions 
(that of brutes, of demons, and of the damned), and touched with perfect 
compassion, thou wouldst destroy the sufferings and the imperfections of 
all beings. Thou wouldst that all should be admitted to the abode of Tran¬ 
quil Joy; and for that reason I award you the title of Kouan shi in (Avalo- 
kiteswara, Contemplative Lord). Whilst thou shalt excercise the functions of 
Bodhisatwa there shall be hundreds of thousands of Wou liang (i. e. five 
quintillions) of millions of Na yeou tha (i. e. billions) of beings who shall owe 
to thee their deliverance from pain. Thou shalt work the great work of Buddha 
and succeed the Buddha Wou liang sheou (Amitabha) under the title of the 
Tathagata, King of the Hills , resplendent with the light of his merits (Y. 
thsy kouang ming koung te shan wang jou lai).' f The second of the prin¬ 
ces presented himself before the Buddha, and expressed a desire of succeed¬ 
ing Kouan in, and of having the same kingdom and the same personal beauty. 
The Buddha assigned him the quality of Buddha, with the title of the Tatha- 


118 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


gata, King of the precious hills where they excel in the observation (of the law) 
(Shen chu chin pao shang wang jou la'i ). He then proceeded ; “ Excel¬ 
lent young man ! as thou hast desired to take the great universe (under thy 
protection) I assign thee this title, and thou shalt be Ta chi shi (in Sanscrit, 
Mahasthdna prapia, he who has acquired vast power; it is the title of a 
Bodhisatwa). The thousand sons of the king all came in like manner to 
make their request to the Buddha, who granted them all the rank of Bud- 
dhahood.” 

The foregoing legend, it will be seen, is opposed to the notion that Ami- 
tabha is a Dhyani Buddha, and Avalokiteswara a Dhyani Bodhisattwa; it 
seems contrary also to the opinion which connects these two personages with 
the human Buddha Sakya, the first in the character of a celestial radiance 
or reflex ( Abglanz ), and the second as an emanation from himself. It will 
be seen how difficult it is to form any just conception of the theological 
abstractions of Buddhism, if to appreciate them we were compelled to pene¬ 
trate the veil of legends and allegories by which they are concealed. 

For reasons which it were tedious to transcribe here, Avalokiteswara is 
generally represented with eleven heads and eight arms ; sometimes he is 
described as having a thousand eyes and a thousand arms, and designated 
Kouan shi in with the thousand eyes and thousand hands. As representing 
in mythological arrangements, the productive faculty of supreme intelligence, 
Avalokiteswara is represented with some of the attributes of a female 
divinity.* The sweetness and beauty of his features,—barring the eight arms 
and eleven heads,—would admit of his being taken for a goddess. Hence many 
authors have been deceived into the belief that Poussa, ( Phousa , Bodhisat¬ 
wa) was a female divinity, a Cybele, and have embellished this error with 
absurd explanations. What is very singular, the Chinese themselves have fallen 
into the same mistake; Phou sa, is feminine alike in their popular religion and 
their common language. The ornaments of the Phou sa are similar to those 
worn by the women of France ; and the pictured idols, or those of metal or 
of porcelain, called Phousa, bear unmistakeable characteristics of the sex to 
which, according to vulgar apprehension, they belong. Some mythologists 
who have drawn their information from corrupt sources, have not hesitated 
to repeat the most absurd fables upon this subject, totally at variance with 
the spirit of the Buddhist creed. A notice of this kind of Kouan shi in, 
is found in a little mythological work of no authority, the title of which 
would lead one to expect a treatise on the three doctrines, but which contains 
a mass of mere mutilated notions gathered here and there from writings of 
no weight, and reunited under the influence of that ignorant syncretism which 
* Alpha. Tibet, p. 178. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


119 


predominates amongst the lowest populace of China. According to this 
author, Kouan in Phou sa is no other than the third daughter of the king 
Choung of Thsou (who reigned in the sixth century B. C. in the present 
province of Hou kouang). This princess named Miao shen, (admirably good) 
merited dfVine honors by her virtue, her filial piety and her devotion to the 
Honorable of the Age , five or six hundred years before her name was even 
known in the country she inhabited !* Her father, according to this absurd 
tradition, erected a statue to her honor under the name of the most compas¬ 
sionate Phou sa, (Ta pei Phou sa). This statue was held in honor under 
the dynasties of Han, Thsang, Soung, and Yuan; was destroyed by the Red 
Caps under the Ming dynasty; and re-esiablished by public authority in the 
years Siouan (A. D. 1426-35). 

(39) The holy band .—The Sanga—the Church—the Faithful.—R. 

(40) The ni houan of Foe .—Whatever be the opinion entertained of the 
date of Sakyas death, it is extremely remarkable that a Buddhist of the 5th 
century of our era should maintain the pre-eminence of his religion in Cen¬ 
tral India, in the 8th and 9th centuries B. C., and the uninterrupted pri¬ 
vileges granted by the kings of the country to the Samaneans up to his own 
times. The supremacy of the brahmans must therefore be referred to other 
places. It is a question of the highest historical importance.—R. 

(41) Forty or fifty thousand li .—The li employed in the vague enuncia¬ 
tion of long distances was very short. The length of the Malabar coast 
from the mouths of the Indus is not therefore greatly exaggerated —R. 


CHAPTER XVII. 

Kingdom of Seng kia shi. 

Proceeding thence in a south easterly direction you reach a king¬ 
dom called Seng kia shi.' This is the place where Foe, having 
ascended into the heaven of Tao lif and for three months preached 
in behalf of his mother , 3 re-descended to the earth. When 
Foe ascended to the heaven of Tao li, he so employed his 
supernatural powers 4 that his disciples knew nothing of it 
* Seou shin hi, B. IV. p. 10. 




120 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


Seven days were yet wanting (of the time fixed for his return,) 
when these made use of their divine faculties. 5 A na liu ,® who was 
endowed with the sight of the Gods, T perceived afar off the Honor¬ 
able of the Age* and said to that venerable personage, the great 
Mou lian 9 “ Go, enquire of the Honorable of the Age” Mou 
Han then proceeded to prostrate himself and worship the foot (of 
Buddha) and addressed the question that had been suggested. 
When he had spoken, Foe said to Mou lian ; “ In seven days 
hence I shall descend to You feou thi .” 10 Mou lian returned, and 
on his return the great kings of eight kingdoms, their vassals 
and their people, who for a long time burnt with anxiety to behold 
Foe again, assembled like clouds in the kingdom (of Seng kia shi) 
to await there the Honorable of the Age. Then said the female 
mendicant Yeou pho lo 11 to herself—'" This day the kings and 
the people await with adoration the advent of Foe ; how shall 
I, who am a woman, obtain the first sight of him ? She then 
availed herself of the divine faculty to transform herself into 
the holy king turning the wheel ; l * and she was by much the first 
to render homage to Foe. 

Foe descended from the heaven of Tao li. At the moment 
of descent he formed a triple ladder of precious steps. Foe de¬ 
scended on the middle ladder, adorned with the seven precious 
things.* 3 The king of the Gods, Fan, 1 * prepared also a ladder of 
silver ; he was on the right side, holding in his hand a white 
chowry 5 and accompanying (Foe). The Lord Shy 1 * constructed 
a ladder of burnished gold ; he was on the left side, holding in his 
hand a parasol enriched with the seven precious things and ac¬ 
companying (Foe). An innumerable throng of Gods ,T followed 
Foe whilst he descended. When he had descended, the three 
ladders disappeared under the ground, and nothing of them 
remained visible but the seven steps. Long after, the king A 
yeou 1 * desired to behold the foundation of them, and sent people 
to dig down to the base. These reached a yellow spring, without 
being able to penetrate to the foundation. The king felt sensible 
of a great increase of his faith and veneration. He caused there- 


CHAPTER XVII. 


121 


fore a chapel to be raised over the steps, and upon the middle one 
erected a full length statue (of Foe), six toises high.'* Behind the 
chapel was erected a pillar thirty cubits high, 80 and thereon was 
placed a lion. Within the pillar on the four sides were images of 
Foe. The interior and the exterior were polished and resplendent 
as crystal. There were heterodox philosophers 21 who contested with 
the Sha men the right of sojourn here. The Sha men submitted 
to a condition, and entered into a mutual convention. “ If, said 
they, this place ought to be the abode of the Sha men , let a super¬ 
natural testimony proclaim it.” They had no sooner finished this 
speech than the lion on the summit of the pillar uttered a loud 
roar.* 2 On witnessing this testimony the heretics were overwhelm¬ 
ed with fear, and submitting their hearts to Foe, received the 
divine sustenance. 23 During three months their bodies exhaled a 
heavenly fragrance very different from that common to the men 
of the age ;** and as they performed there their ablutions, men 
afterwards erected in that place a bathing-house ; this bath 
exists still. A tower was also erected in the place where the 
religious mendicant Yeou pho to rendered the first homage to 
Foe. At the time when Foe was in the world, they built a 
tower on the spot where he cut his hair and his nails ;* 5 on that 
where the three former Foes 26 sat with Shy kia wen ;* T in the 
places where he had journeyed, and where images of Foe were 
erected; every where have they constructed towers which remain 
to this day. At the place where the Lord Shy , and the king ot 
the Gods, Fan , descended with Foe, they have likewise erected a 
tower. In these places there may be a thousand devotees, both 
male and female, who dwell together and eat in company, those 
of the great intermingled with those who study the less transla¬ 
tion. 

In the dwelling place of the ecclesiastics a dragon** with white 
ears was their benefactor. It is he who confers fertility and 
abundance on the country by causing gentle showers to fall upon 
the fields and securing them against all calamities. It is he 
who procures repose to the ecclesiastics, and these in gratitude 

M 


122 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


for bis benefactions have erected a chapel with an alcove to place 
him in. They prepare also happy food for the dragon and pay 
him homage. The clergy choose every day in their assembly 
three persons to dine in the chapel of the dragon. Their stay 
being ended, the dragon assumes the form of a little serpent with 
two ears bordered with white. When the ecclesiastics perceive 
him, they present him with cream in a copper vessel. The dragon 
descends from the throne and comes to the floor of the alcove, 
where he walks about with an air of enquiry. After going the 
round he disappears. He comes out once every year. This 
kingdom is fertile, and abundant in all kinds of produce. The 
people are numerous and rich ; and beyond comparison happier 
than any other. The inhabitants of all other countries fail not to 
repair thither and receive whatever may be requisite for them. 

To the north of the temple, fifty yeou yarn 29 there is a temple 
named the Limit or Boundary of Fire . 30 Boundary of Fire is 
the name of an evil spirit. Foe converted this evil spirit,’ and 
men of subsequent times have built a chapel in the place and 
made a gift of it to the A lo han. He (Foe) washed his hands 
with water of which some drops fell to the earth; you may see 
them still there ; it were in vain to sweep the place ; they would 
ever restore themselves, and they never dry up. There is also 
a tower of Foe in this place which a good spirit is in the habit 
of sweeping and watering so that there is no need of human 
labor A perverse king said, “ Seeing that thou canst do this, I 
shall assemble a large army to dwell in this place : canst thou 
carry away in the same manner the filth and the ordure that will 
accumulate?” The spirit raised a great wind which carried 
away and purified all. There are a hundred little towers in this 
place; but one might pass the whole day counting them, and 
(yet) not know the number of them exactly. If they wish to 
know the number with precision, they place a man by the side of 
each tower, and afterwards count these men: but there are some, 
times more and sometimes fewer; so that it is impossible to have 
an exact statement of them. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


123 


There is a Seng kia lan 31 which may contain six or seven 
hundred monks. It is here that a Pi chi foe 32 took his food. 
The spot of the ni houan is as large as the wheel of a car. 
Other spots produce grass. This alone produces none. The 
same may be said of the place where they dried their dresses; it 
produces no grass. The seams of the garments are marked upon 
the ground, and exist to this day as they did of old. 

NOTES. 

(1) Seng kia ski. —There can be no doubt that Seng kia shi, or Seng kia 
she, is the Chinese transcription of the Samkassam or Samkassa, of Pali 
books. Hiouan thsang, who visited the temple where the ladder of Buddha 
was preserved, as well as those erected to his companions Brahma and Indra, 
names the country Kia pi tha; and thus establishes its identity with Seng 
kia shi. The position of this place with reference to Mathura and Kanouj, 
depends therefore upon the concurrent testimony of Hiouan thsang and Fa 
hian, and corresponds with that of the present Furrukabad.—R. 

Captain Alexander Cunningham has had to good fortune to indentify the 
actual remains of this capital, and to trace the yet unextinct worship of the 
dragon mentioned by our pilgrim. “ This capital,” says Capt. C. “ still ex¬ 
ists in the village of Samkassa, situated on the north or left bank of the Kali 
nadi, three quarters of akos from Aghat Serai, twelve kos from Farakhabad, 
and twenty-five kos from Kanouj. The village consists of only 50 or 60 
houses, on a high ground which has once been a fort; but all around it for 
a circuit of six miles there is a succession of high ruined mounds of brick 
and earth which are said to be the walls of the old city. My munshi s ex¬ 
pression of wonder, after having visited these ruins, ‘ Kanouj se bard hy t T 
li it is even larger than Kanouj,” will convey some notion of their great ex¬ 
tent.” After describing some modern temples surmounting the ancient 
mounds of debris and some fragments of Buddhist sculpture, Capt. C. pro¬ 
ceeds “Close by to the southward is the most interesting point in these 
ruins. It is a small mound of ruined brick dedicated to the worship of the 
Nag a. Nothing whatever is erected there ; but whenever rain is desired 
the people proceed to the spot and pray for it. The period of annual wor" 
ship, however, is the month of Bysakh, just before the commencement of 
the seasonal rains, when the village women go there in procession and make 
offerings of milk which they pour out upon the spot. This is no doubt the 
identical dragon (Naga) which Fa hian mentions as appearing once a year , 
from whose favour the people of Seng kia shi obtained propitious rains and 

M 2 



124 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


abundant harvests. It is most interesting thusjto trace back with certainty 
this local worship for nearly fourteen centuries and a half, to A. D. 400, 
which though most probably not the period of its origin, yet undoubtedly 
must be close to the time of its engrafture upon Buddhism.’’ 

Capt. C. then records a tradition of the destruction of this capital in 
Samvat 1240 (A. D. 1183) by Raja Jayachandra of Kanouj, who at the in¬ 
stigation of the brahmans, marched against it and ploughed it up into fields, 
on the borders of which the large bricks are piled in dykes to the present 
day. These old traditions and authentic dates are of infinite value in 
illustrating the medieval history of India. 

Sankasya is mentioned in the Ramayana and is one of the holy cities 
claimed by the Hindus.—J. W. L. 

(2) To the heaven of Tao li ,—the Trayastrinsha, or heaven of the thirty- 
three, that is the habitation of Indra and the thirty-two gods dependent on 
him. It occupies the second place in the inferior world, called the World of 
desires, as of course it does of the twenty-eight superimposed heavens which 
constitute a universe.* The expression in the text is synonymous therefore 
with the second heaven to which Buddha is said to have ascended. These 
thirty-two gods were as many men who in preceding ages had merited by virtu¬ 
ous acts regeneration in this place with divine attributes.t The duration of 
their life is fixed at 1000 years, every day of which is equal to 100 of our 
years, which amount to thirty-six millions of years. At the end of this 
period they die, and are born again in a superior or an inferior condition, 
according as they may have advanced or receded in moral merit. It is thus 
that we meet in Buddhist legends with personages who have been Indras or 
Brahmas, or some other divinity, whose name does not indicate a fixed and 
definite condition, which when once acquired is forever attached to the same 
individual, but a transitory state at which all may arrive in their turn. 

According to Tibetan cosmography, the town inhabited by the thirty-two 
gods, is of a square form ; its circuit is 10,000 dPag thsad, or 40 Roman 
miles ; the walls of pure gold are 2£ dPag thsad or 10 miles high. (Some 
error here.—J. W. L.) The palace is situated in the midst of the town, and 
is 1000 dPag thsad in circumference. At the four angles are delicious 
gardens, in each of which is an elephant with six trunks and a red head, 
leading a herd of a million animals of the same species. These gods have 
wives who bear them sons, who are conceived, born, and full-grown in the 
same moment. Their stature is 250 Bom pa, or quadruple cubits. 

According to a Buddhist work, the summit of Su meru is the dwelling 

* Journal Asiatique, tom VII. p. 314. 
t San tsang fa sou, B. XLVII. p. 26. v. 



CHAPTER XVII. 


125 


place of the gods ; and there is the town named Shen Man, or goodly appear¬ 
ance, in which abides Indra.—R. 

(3) In favour of Ms mother.—Maha maya, or the Lady, as she is called 
by the Buddhists, daughter of Kieou li sha ti, and wife of the king Suddho 
dana, died seven days after the birth of Sakya ; but in consideration of the 
merit of having borne in her womb the great Master of the Gods, she was 
born again in Trayastrinsha, and there received among the gods. One of 
the duties which the Tathagata had to perform was to preach the law to his 
mother. Thus then after he had accomplished the doctrine, he thought of 
nothing more than of the goodness of that mother who had cherished him 
(in her womb) ; but besides the depth of his affection he was bound by en¬ 
gagement to return to save his father and his mother. It was on this 
account that he desired to preach on her behalf and obtain her deliverance, 
and for this purpose that he ascended to the heaven Trayastrinsha. —R. 

(4) His supernatural faculties .—We have already seen supernatural 
power ascribed to the Buddhist saints.* The expression in the text is the 
same that is applied to the faculties of Brahmacharis in the treatise formerly 
quoted ;f and instead of the ten powers, six faculties only are reckoned. 
What was formerly advanced on that subject, may be compared with the 
following explanation taken from another religious treatise :— 

“ Shin (spiritual, supernatural, divine) is predicated of the soul or of the 
thoughts of the gods; Thoung (penetration, intelligence) of intelligent 
nature. That which enables one to penetrate, and see after the manner of 
the gods, is called Shin thoung.”% 

1st. The divine eye .—Thus is named the faculty of beholding all beings, 
living or dead, who belong to the six conditions, that is, of gods, of men, 
of asUras, of hungry demons, of brutes, and of the damned ; of seeing the 
sorrows and the joys of all these beings of whatever kind they be, and in all 
the worlds, without obstacle or impediment. 

2ndly. The divine ear ,—enables the possessor to hear every word, whether 
of sorrow or of joy, uttered by the beings of the six conditions, and all 
sounds and noises of . whatever kind, and in whatever place they be. 

3rd. Knowledge of the thoughts of others .—The faculty of knowing wbat 
is passing in the bottom of the heart of all the creatures of the six condi¬ 
tions. 

4th. The knowledge of existence.— This is the faculty of knowing every 
thing connected with one’s own existence, whether at the distance of one, 


* Chap. VI. note 6. 
f Chap. X. note 4. 

X lnglo king, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, B. XXVI. p. 7. v. 

$ Fa kia'i tseu ti, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, B. XXVI. p. 11. 


K 3 


126 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


two, or three generations, or a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand ; as well 
as that of all and each of the beings of the six conditions and all their actions. 

5th. The body at will.— By this is meant the power of passing bodily by 
flight over seas and mountains without experiencing impediment; disappear¬ 
ing from this world, and re-appearing in another, and the reverse ; of becoming 
great or small, and finally of changing the form of the body at will. 

6th. The end of the dropping. (Stillationis finis).—This singular expres¬ 
sion designates the errors of sight and of thought in the three worlds. By 
the errors of sight are understood the divisions or distinctions which arise 
from the connexion of the root of the mind (mens) with the dust of the 
law ; and by the errors of the thought, the desires and affections which 
spring from the connexion of the five roots of the eye, the ear, the nose, 
the tongue and the body, with the five dusts of color, sound, smell, taste 
and touch. The Arhans, delivered from the errors of sight and of thought, 
obtain supernatural faculties, since they are no longer subject to birth or 
life in the three worlds.*—R. 

(5) Their divine faculties, or the sufficient strength of gods. —See what 
has been said of the supernatural faculties, Chap. VI. note 6. 

(6) A na liu; —one of the ten great disciples of Sakya, and renowned for 
. his penetrating sight. He had the divine eye. His name is more correctly 

written A na liu tho , and signifies in Sanskrit unextinguishable. He was 
so named, because, having practised charity, he had merited re-birth among 
men and gods, and unextinguishable happiness. He was cousin of Buddhaf 
and second son of the king Hou fan ; and he embraced religious life in the 
suite of Sakya.—R. 

(7) Sight of the Gods. —See chapter VI. note 6.—R. 

(8) The Honorable of the Age. —In Sanscrit Lokajyestha; See Chap. 
XVI. note 24.—R. 

(9) Mou lian , is the same as Mou kian lian, in Sanskrit Mauggala-yana, 
the sixth of the ten great disciples of Sakya.—R. 

(10) Yan feou thi ,—Jambudwipa. (See note 7, Chap. XII.) 

(11) Yeou pho lo, perhaps a transcription of the Sanskrit Utpala, lotus, 
blue nymphsea. There is no mention of this incident either in the Si yu 
chi, or in any other of the Chinese legends in our possession.—R. 

(12) . The holy king turning the wheel. —This is the Chinese transcript of 
the Sanskrit Maha Chakravartti Raja, a title implying “ universal monarch .’’ 
The present is an appropriate occasion to explain this pompous title, which 
is nowhere completely defined, not even in the History of Sanang Setsen. 

* Great Japan, Cyclop. B. XIX. p. 8. 
t 6'an ts ang fa sou, B. LXI. p. 13. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


127 


The Holy King of the Wheel is he who reigns over the four continents, 
(see Chap. XII. n. 7.) He enjoys, four special advantages, decorated with 
the name of virtues : 1st. He is extremely rich, possessing a great abund¬ 
ance of treasure, fields, dwellings, slaves of both sexes, pearls and precious 
stones, elephants and horses; none under heaven in this respect equalling 
him. 2ndly. His beauty is unrivalled. 3rly. He is never sick, and enjoys 
perpetual complacency. 4tkly. His life is prolonged beyond that of other 
men. When he goes forth he is followed and guarded by four kinds of 
troops ; those mounted on elephants, those on horses, those in chariots, and 
infantry clad in cuirass and helmet. 

The age of man, according to the Buddhists, is subject to a vicissitude of 
increase and diminution, the complete revolution of which constitutes a small 
kalpa. The greatest increase of human life is to 84,000 years. When this 
has lasted one hundred years, human life diminishes by one year, and so on 
in the same proportion, one year in every hundred, until it is reduced to ten 
years ; and this is called the Kalpa, or cycle, of diminution. Then after the 
lapse of one hundred years, it increases by one year; or according to others 
the son lives to twice the age of the father , for if the latter have lived ten 
years the former will live twenty. This period is called the Kalpa of pro¬ 
longation. The prolongation goes on till the age of 84,000 years is attain¬ 
ed, when there appears a King of the Golden Wheel , who is born in a royal 
family and obtains supreme dignity on succeeding his father and being 
baptised in the water of the four oceans. For fifteen days he bathes in 
perfumed water, and fasts ; he then ascends an elevated tower surrounded 
by his ministers and courtiers. Suddenly there appears a golden wheel in 
the east, shedding a brilliant light and advancing to the place where the king 
is standing. If the king would proceed towards the east, the wheel turns 
in that direction, and the king accompanied by his troops follows. Before 
the wheel are four genii who serve as guides. Wherever it stops, there does 
the king in like manner. The same thing takes place in the direction of 
the south, the west, and the north ; wherever the wheel leads, the king follows ; 
and where it halts, he does the same. In the four continents he directs the 
people to follow the ten right ways, that is to say, not to kill, not to steal, not 
to commit adultery, not to lie, not to be double-tongued, not to calumniate, 
not to speak with elaborate refinement, not to abandon one’s-self to lusts, 
not to entertain anger and hatred, and not to have immodest looks. He is 
called the king of the golden wheel or the holy king turning the wheel , and 
he possesses the seven precious things, viz :— 

1st. The treasure of the Golden Wheel. —This wheel has a thousand rays 
(or spokes) ; its diameter is one toise and four feet (4m. 270 = to 14 English 


128 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


feet nearly). Its nave and felloes are sculptured and enchased with precious 
ornaments, shedding great splendour; it is the work of heavenly artists, and 
is unequalled by any thing in the world. The monarch who obtains it is 
called the holy king who causes the wheel to turn, because from the moment 
of his possessing it, the wheel turns and traverses the universe according to 
the thoughts of the king. 

2nd. The treasure of the White Elephant, named also the blue mountain. 
The king of the wheel having come in the morning to his palace, there sud¬ 
denly appears to him a elephant, the body of which is entirely white and the 
head of various colours ; he has six teeth of the colour of the seven precious 
things. He is so powerful that he can traverse the air ; and when the king 
has mounted him can make the tour of the universe, setting out in the morn¬ 
ing and returning by evening, without experiencing pain or fatigue. If he 
cross a river, the water is not agitated, nor does it even moisten his feet. 
(We here see the reason why the kings of Ultra-India keep white elephants 
in their stables, and assume the title of ‘ Lord of the White Elephant 
this title being synonomous with ‘ sovereign of the world .’) 

3rd. The Purple Horse, named also strong and rapid wind. —This horse 
is of a mixed tint of red and blue. The king having come to his palace, 
early in the morning, a purple horse suddenly appears before him. His 
hair is strung with pearls, which fall off when he is washed or combed and 
are instantly reproduced more beautiful and brilliant than before. When he 
neighs he is heard at the distance of a yojana. He has strength sufficient 
to fly ; and when the king mounts to traverse the world, he sets out in the 
morning and returns by night without experiencing any fatigue. Every 
grain of dust which his feet touch is converted into gold. 

4th. The Divine Pearls, called also, clouds of hidden light. —These pearls 
present themselves to the king’s sight in the same manner as the preceding 
objects. Their colour and water are perfect without spot or blemish ; sus¬ 
pended in the air during night they enlighten both great and little states ; 
and within and without they emit light equal to the full day. 

5th. The treasure of the Jasper Girl, otherwise called, pure and admira¬ 
ble virtue. Her body is warm in winter and cool in summer ; from all its 
pores there exhales the perfume of sandal wood, as from her mouth that of 
the blue lotus. Her speech is sweet, her gait is dignified; whatever she 
eats is dissipated and evaporates ; nor is she subject to any of the impu¬ 
rities of other women. 

6th. The Doctor of Wealth, otherwise vast wealth, or the doctor of trea¬ 
sures. When the king of the wheel desires to possess the seven kinds of 
wealth, the magistrate in charge of the mines and treasures, turns to the 


CHAPTER XVII* 


129 


earth, and the earth produces the seven precious things ; or to the water, 
the mountains, and the stones, and these equally produce them. The work 
entituled Agama , adds that the functionary who occupies this charge is 
under the influence of great prosperity, and that he is able to perceive trea¬ 
sures hidden in the earth, whether having an owner or not. If they have 
one, he watches for their preservation ; if not, he assumes them for his 
master’s use. 

7th. The General of the Army , called also the spotless eye, or the officer 
charged with the command of the troops. When the king of the wheel 
requires the four kinds of troops to the number of a thousand or ten thou¬ 
sand, or even an asanJcya (an innumerable amount), he has but to turn 
his eyes, and they are at once marshalled in perfect order. The book 
Agama adds, “ this officer is able and prudent, brave and intrepid, and con¬ 
summate in the stratagems of war. He presents himself singly and ad¬ 
dresses the king: * Lord ! if you have enemies to combat be not uneasy. 
If you desire the four kinds of troops, men on elephants, or in war- 
chariots, or cavalry, or infantry, I will place them at your disposal.’ ”* 

When Siddartha (Sakya Muni) came into this world he exhibited, accord¬ 
ing to the judgment of astrologers, the signs of the happiest of alternatives 
in his physiognomy. “ If this prince remain at home (that is continue 
a laic) he will become, said they, a holy king of the wheel, and lord of the 
four continents; for the kings of the wheel possessed, as this prince did, 
the thirty-two beauties (laksapa) ; if he leave his home (that is embrace 
religious life), continued they, let him despise the dignity of royalty in seek¬ 
ing the doctrine ; he will infallibly become Buddha, and receive the title of 
universal guide.f 

The book entitled Long (Agama) speaks only of the Icing of the Golden 
Wheel, owner of the treasures above enumerated ; but according to the Kiu 
che lan, (apparently a portion of the Abhidharma) there are four kings de¬ 
corated with the sign of the wheel: 

1st. The king of the Iron Wheel. He appears in the time when the age of 
man, after having reached its term of extreme brevity (10 years), returns 
by successive augmentations to 20,000 years. He reigns only over his 
single southern continent, or Jambudwfpa. If any one resist his benefi¬ 
cent influence, the king displays his power, compels submission, and esta- 
blishes anew the observance of the ten good ways. 

2d. The king of the Copper Wheel, will appear when the duration of life 
is 40,000 years. He rules two continents, the eastern, or Fe in tha'i, and the 

* Sieou king pen klii king, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, B. XXX. p. 11. 

t Foe pen hing tsy king, Book V. p. 2. 


130 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


southern, or Jambudwxpa. He conducts himself as the former, and by his 
power and virtue, converts all those who have strayed from the good way. 

3d. The king of the Silver Wheel. He makes his appearance when the 
life of man extends to 60,000 years. He governs three continents, to wit, 
those above named, and the western, or Kiu ye ni. If amongst the king¬ 
doms there be any who resist his influence, he subjugates them and re-estab¬ 
lishes by force the observance of virtue. 

4th. The king of the Golden Wheel. Governs the four continents, as we 

have seen above.—R. 

The explanation here and formerly (see Chap. V. note 6) given of the 
significance of wheels as emblematic of temporal and spiritual dominion, will 
readily account for the frequent occurrence of this symbol upon ancient 
Buddhist coins, of which many have been figured in the Journ. As. Soc. 
Vol. IV., and elsewhere. In Vol. XVI. of the same work, p. 748, Capt. 
J. D. Cunningham has given a sketch from the sculptures at Bhilsa of a 
man kneeling in adoration before a wheel supported upon a pillar, and most 
likely typifying the Bauddha faith, or perhaps Buddha himself, who is desig¬ 
nated Chakkawatti in Pali books. (See Mahawanso, Glossary). 

The religious as well as temporal meanings attached to the wheel are com¬ 
mon, however, to the Hindu as well as the Bauddha faith. Thus Menu 
(Chap. XII. Sloka 124) compares transmigration,—that fundamental and 
undisputed dogma of all Indian theology—to the wheel of a car : and in the 
Vishnu Purana we read ,— u The mark of Vishnu’s discus is visible on the 
hand of one who is born to be a universal emperor, one whose power is in¬ 
vincible even by the gods.” (Wilson’s Translation, p. 101). In a note to 
this passage Professor Wilson gives the following explanation of the term 
Chakravertti; “ one who abides in, or rules over an extensive territory 
called a Chakra.”—J. W. L. 

(13) The seven precious things. (See above, Chap. XIII. note 4.) 

(14) The king of the Gods, Fan. Twenty years have elapsed since I first 
explained this Chinese word.* The Missionaries never interpreted Fan, 
which Deguignes always vaguely renders Indian, and to which he had appar¬ 
ently attached the signification of prayers. The word Fan, then, is in 
Chinese the equivalent of Brahma, and is further used to designate the San¬ 
scrit language and character, as well as books written in that language. Its 
true etymology is for the first time indicated in my observations on the 
memoirs of Deguignes. It was obtained from a unique passage in a Bud¬ 
dhist work ; for this word is never employed but in its abridged form, which 
renders it not easily recognisable. Fan is the contraction of Fan lan ma, 

* Nouv. Jour. As. tom. VII. p. 298. 


CHAPTER XVII. 131 

th$ transcription of Brahma. The meaning of the word is exempt from 
desire , or pure. 

Brahma is, in the Buddhist system, the first of the twenty gods having 
functions to exercise and protection to bestow on other beings. He has 
the title of king. His person and his soul are alike replete with perfect 
majesty and purity, untainted with any imperfection. He is a strict obser¬ 
ver of the precepts, illuminated and qualified to govern the band of secon¬ 
dary Brahmas. It is he who in the Fa houa king is called the Lord of the 
Savaloka , the great Brahma, who governs the grand chiliocosm, that is the 
greatest of the three aggregations of universes, containing a thousand mil¬ 
lion of suns, of Sumerus, and quadruple continents such as we behold.* 

In other arrangements of the Buddhist pantheon, Brahma is represented 
in a more or less elevated position. He occupies, either himself, or by his 
subjects and ministers, the three heavens of the first contemplation in the 
world of forms ( Rupya vachara) that is to say the seventh, the eight, and 
the ninth heaven in ascending mount Sumeru. In the seventh is the troop 
or army of Brahma ( Brahmaparipatya) ; the ministers of Brahma ( Brahma - 
purohita) are in the eigth, and the ninth is the abode of the great Brahma 
(Maha brahmana ) himself. According to this account Brahma must be 
very far from being the supreme Lord of the Grand Chiliocosm , since the 
little chiliocosm , is enclosed by the heavens of the second contemplation 
with which it is connected, and this lesser chiliocosm, is comprised a thou¬ 
sand times under the heaven of the fourth contemplation, which covers the 
grand chiliocosm. The Savaloka has a meaning yet more vast, seeing that 
under this denomination are united all the parts of the three worlds, to wit, 
the world of desires, the eighteen heavens of the world of forms, belonging 
to the first, the second, the third, and the fourth contemplation ; and the 
world of beings without forms. 

The Buddhists of Nepal, reckon thirteen heavens in the world of forms 
subject to Brahma,f the names of four of which expressly denote this depen¬ 
dence. A sloka from the Raja kanda, a modern work composed in Nepal from 
respectable authorities, would lead us to believe that Padma-pani (Avalokite- 
swara) produced Brahma to create, Vishnu to preserve, and Mahesa, to 
destroy. Another work, more ancient, asserts that the sun and the moon 
were produced from the eyes of Avalokiteswara, Mahadevafrom his forehead, 
Brahma from the interval of his shoulders, Vishnu from his chest, Saraswati 
from his teeth, Vayu from his mouth, Prithvi from his feet, and Varuna 

* Thian chouan, History of the Gods, cited in the San tsang fa sou, B. XLVI. 
p. 13. 

t See Hodgson, Trans, Roy. Asiat. Soc. Vol. II. p. 233. 




132 


PILGRIMAGE OP FA HIAN. 

from his navel. After the creation of these divinities it is further stated 
that Avalokiteswara thus addressed them: “ Be thou Brahma, Lord o 

Satyagma, and create ; and thou, Vishnu, be thou Lord of the Rajaguna, 
and preserve; and Mahesa, be thou Lord of the Tamaguna, and destroy. 
According to Sarvajna Mitrapada, an ascetic of Cashmere, the three Indian 
divinities were born under the same circumstances, but from the body of the 
supreme Prajna (divine thought). 

We easily perceive that the origin here assigned to Brahma, belongs to 
the Brahmauico-Buddhic syncretism of Nepal, first explained to us by Mi. 
Hodgson. The Buddhists, whose works we have in Chinese, in no way 
admit the creative function of Brahma, and even quote the idea of such as 

one of the fallacies taught by the heretics. 

Those who adhere to the doctrines of the Vedas maintain that the God 
Narayan begot the four families (Brahmans, Khsetriyas, Vaisyas, and Su= 
dras) ; that from his navel was produced a great nymphsea, and that from 
this nymphaea was produced Brahma, surnamed the Grand sire, as being 
the great father of all beings. Brahma possessed the power of creating all 
beings, animate or inanimate. They hence deem this deity eternal, unique, 
the cause of all things, even of Nirvana, that is, of the absolute state in 
which nature is conceived to exist anterior to the formation of the universe, 
and of the birth of individuals as well as of the relations which link these to 
each other. We shall by and bye give further details concerning these 

heterodox opinions. 

According to Buddhist cosmography, the gods of the band of Brahma 
inhabit the first heaven of the first contemplation in the world of forms, are 
875 dom pa, or quadruple cubits, in height, and live one half of a revolution 
of the world ; the ministers of Brahma in the heaven immediately above are 
1000 dom pa high, and live three-fourths of a revolution; and the great 
Brahmas in the third heaven of the first contemplation are 1125 dom pa in 
stature, and live an entire revolution, that is to say, a period of 1,344,000,000 
years, or according to another calculation, six times the entire cycle of the 
nine ages of man, which makes the number of years much more consider¬ 
able,* and scarcely to be expressed in figures. Elsewhere the life of 
Brahma is stated at 60 smaller Kalpas, or 1,008,000,000 years.f 

The Tibetans have rendered the name of Brahma in their tongue by the 
word Thsangs pa, the signification of which implies the notion of purity 
attached by Buddhists to the original word. The Tartars replace it by 
Esroun, which is apparently formed from Isuren ( Iswara ), and has been 
transferred from one of the persons of the trimurti to the other.—R. 

* Alphab. Tibet, p. 471. 
t San tsang fa sou, 13. XVIII. p. 11. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


133 


(15) A chowry. An instrument employed in Buddhist ceremonies and 
formed of a handle and a tuft of hair from a deer’s or a bear's tail, or of red 
silk. That which contemplative ascetics hold in the hand is of a white color ; 
a figure of it may be seen in the Japanese Encyclopedia, B. XIX. p. 12.—R. 

(17) A throng of Gods. —The word gods is applied in Buddhism, to 
designate those beings superior to man who inhabit the elevated regions of 
the world of desire, as well as the world of forms and that of incorporeal 
beings : but this word must not be taken in the sense attached to it in western 
mythology. The gods of Buddhism are imperfect beings, limited alike in 
power and in the duration of their existence, amongst whom it is not mere¬ 
ly possible for men to be re-born by the practice of virtue, but whom they 
may even surpass by attaining the quality of purified Intelligence (Buddha 
or Bodhisattwa), and thus emancipating themselves from the vicissitudes of 
birth in the three worlds. Their Sanscrit name is Deva. The Tibetans 
call them Lah. The Chinese, having no word in their language applicable 
to the idea of an incorporeal and divine being, designate them by that which 
signifies heaven,—Thian. After their example, the Mongols denominate 
them Tagri , and the Manchous Abka , both signifying the same thing. 

The gods are distinguished into four classes; The gods of the world, or 
the kings who, though dwelling among men, are under celestial influence. 
The gods by birth ; these are those beings who by the observance of the 
precepts and the practice of virtue, or by the exercise of contemplation, have 
merited rebirth amongst the gods of the three worlds ; it is these that are 
spoken of on the present occasion. The gods of purity, or the men of the two 
translations, that is to say, the Sravakas and the Pratyeka Buddhas who by 
i devoting themselves to the contemplation of vacuity (spirit), suppress the 
j errors of sense and thought, and attain a high degree of purity. The gods of 
I justice are the Bodhisattwas, who by the ten kinds of moral perfection have 
fulfilled the entire law of deliverance.* The eight classes of living beings 
j superior to man are, beginning with the least exalted, the Mahoragas, or 
I terrestrial dragons ; the Kinnaras , or horned genii and musicians of Indra ; 
the Garudas, golden-winged birds ; the Asuras ; the Gandharvas, other 
musicians of Indra ; the Yakshas; the Nagas or dragons, and the Devas or 
j gods. These last are celestial beings, who enjoy a high degree of felicity, 

I whose bodies are pure and resplendent, and who deserve to be honored with 
j unequalled veneration. They are the most elevated in the five conditions , 
(gods, men, the damned, pretas, and brutes) very superior (to man) ; very 
great, very respectable. They find in themselves the sources of their own 

* Ta chi tou lun, B. XXII, and the Book oj the Nirvana, XXI, quoted in the 
San tsang fa sou, B. XVI, p, 8 v. 

N 





134 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


happiness ; nothing opposes their wishes. These are the recompensing' 
advantages of the pure character of their former life. Their colour is de¬ 
scribed as white, indicating the purity of their actions ; hence the metaphors 
applied to them connected with this color, and with the west , in which direc- . 
tion it is supposed to predominate.* Their number is very great; but they , 
have for chiefs, Brahma, the Lord of the greaf chiliocosm, and India, prince 
of the thirty-two gods of Sumeru.f 

Formerly there were reckoned but sixteen principal gods, of whom there 
were images, and of whom each had his peculiar influence and dominion. 
Subsequently, four were added; the Sun, because he dissipates darkness ; the 
Moon, because she illumines the night; So kiei, king of the dragons, because 
he conceals the treasure of the law, (see note 27) and Fan ma lo, because 
he reigns in darkness. We must give some account of these gods of the 
Buddhic Pantheon according to Chinese mythograpliy. 

1st. The king of the Gods, Fan or Fan lan ma. (See note 14.) 

2d. The king of Heaven, Indra. See Chap. IX, note 2. 

3d. Pi sha men, or the glorious. This god is so called because the fame 
of his glory is spread abroad in all parts. He is the king of the gods of the 
north, dwelling half way up the mountain Sumeru, on the fourth story of 
this mountain, on the northern side, by the wall of crystal. He command* 
innumerable myriads of Yakshas or valorous genii, and the north is under 
his protection. The Mongols call him Bisman tagri. 

4th. Thi theou lai tho, or Thi to lo tho, the protector of the kingdoms , 
or the pacificator of the people. This god, whose power is propitious to¬ 
wards terrestrial kingdoms, is king of the eastern part of the Heavens. He 
dwells half way up Sumeru, on the fourth stage, facing the east, by the 
wall of gold. He commands the Gandharvas or musicians of Indra, and 
the Fudannas, or demons who preside over fevers. The east is subject to 
his dominion, and for the people of those parts he obtains peace and repose. 
In Mongol, Ortchilong tetkouktchi. 

oth. Pi leou le cha, or Pi Ueou li, whose name signifies greatness augment¬ 
ed, to* express how his power, his majesty, and his virtues increase and 
cause those of others to increase also. This god dwells in the same 
story of Sumeru, as the foregoing, but on the southern side, and by the 
sapphire wall (Lieou li), He commands the Kheou phan tho ( Kumbhan* 
da ?), and other genii and demons in number infinite. He presides over the 
south. The Mongols call him Ulumtchi tareltou. 

6th. Pi lieou po cha, or Pi lieou pho cha , whose name is explained in 


* Yuan kio lung lio sou chhao, B. XXIII. p. 20 verso. 
t Fan i ming y, B. II, quoted in the San tsangfa sou, 


B. XXIII. p. 13 verso. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


135 


two ways : mixed language, because he can speak in every tongue ; great 
eges, because his eyes are far greater than those of men. This god inhabits 
the same region as the foregoing, but on the west side of Sumeru, and by the 
silver wall. He commands the demons named Pi she che (Visachas ) and 
I innumerable troops of dragons and other demons. He protects the west^ 
He is the Sain housou nidoutou of the Mongols. 

These four last named gods are called the gods of the Heaven. They are 
the ministry of Indra. They are also denominated the protectors of the 
world, in conformity with the part they are called upon to play.* 

7th. Kin hang mi tsi , that is to say in Chinese,—‘ the god who holds in 
his hand the diamond mace’ (Vajra pant) and who knows thoroughly all the 
actions and all the proceedings of the Tathagatas. There was in ancient 
times a king who had a thousand and two sons. The first thousand all 
attained the rank of Buddhas, and their every thought was directed to the 
perfection of the doctrine. But the two youngest acknowledged it not. One 
of them made this vow ; “ If my thousand brothers accomplish the law, may 
I become a demon to attack and annoy them V* The other on the contra* 
ry, sought to become a warrior that he might defend them. It was this 
last who became Kin hang or Vajra pani. He commands the five hundred 
Ye sha (Yakshas) and other genii, who are all great Bodhisattwas. He dwells 
with them on the summit of the most elevated mountains, and they are 
all protectors of the law of the thousand Buddhas of the Kalpa of sages, 
that is of the present age. 

8th. Ma i sheou lo (Maha Ishwara) The Great Lord, or as some under¬ 
stand it, the Majestic Intelligence. Some give him three eyes, as being the 
most venerable Lord of the three worlds. The Tou hing ki, says on this 
subject“ The god of the world of forms has three eyes and eight arms. 
He is mounted upon a white ox, and holds in his hands a white brush. He 
is endowed with great strength and majesty. He dwells in the place of the 
Bodhisattwas and can reckon the number of rain-drops that fall in a grand 
chiliocosm. He governs a grand chiliocosm, and there is none more worthy 
of honor in the three worlds. 

9th. The great General Sa chi, or Sa chi sieou ma. This word signifies 
silence, repose. The collection of Dharanis, or formulae, contains a passage 
in which it is stated that the mother of the demons had three sons ; the first 
named Wei she wen, the second the General Sa chi, and the youngest Manx 
pa tho; and that these were adequate to protect all the beings in all the 
worlds of space ; to remove all their errors and vices. They dwell on the 

* Fa hona wen kia, B. II. quoted in the San tsang fa sou , B. XVI, p. 9 verso. 
N 2 







136 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


earth or in the air. Each of them has five hundred officers attached to him, 
and twenty-eight dependent orders of demons and genii. Wherever the 
sacred doctrine is promulgated, thither they hasten to protect its preachers, 
to guard them from evil, and keep them in peace. They favour them in the 
triple repose of the body, the mouth, and the spirit; causing all manner of 
sweet savours, and subtile emanations to penetrate the pores of their bodies ; 
fair speech and eloquence to adorn their mouths ; and activity, courage, and 
penetration to fortify their spirits. They cause those also who hear the law 
to receive the happiness that belongs to men and gods, and speedily to obtain 
lodhi. Such are the good offices they perform in rewarding virtue and 
punishing vice. 

10th. The Great Discerner, so called because of his lofty intelligence and 
profound penetration. He dwells in the most precipitous parts of the moun¬ 
tains, or in caverns and the depth of the forests. In the places where he 
dwells, he has always the head high, a single foot, eight arms and a hand¬ 
some figure. He holds a bow, arrows, a sword, a lance, a long club, and 
an iron wheel. Indra and the other gods hold him in honor and celebrate 
his praises. He is provided with a power of discernment which nothing 
can resist; and under all circumstances he protects the world ; coming to the 
help of all beings and diffusing the doctrine of Buddha, without wearying, 
by reason of his intelligence and happy gifts. By the light he diffuses at 
religious meetings he is the most propitious of all the gods. 

11th. The God of Virtues , or of Merits , so named in the book of the 
Nirvana and in the collection of the Dharanis ; and in the Kouang ming 
hing and Sa chi pin, called theirs/ in majesty, promoter of virtuous acts, 
great god of merits. It is in him that the Tathagata Kin shan chao ming 
(light of the golden mountain) deposited the seeds of all the virtues which 
obtained for him all sorts of blessings. His figure and exterior are admirable. 
He diffuses virtue and happiness among all beings. He dwells in a magni¬ 
ficent garden called the ‘ Pavilion of gold.’ He supplies those who pro¬ 
claim the Law with all that is requisite for them, and delights in heaping 
upon them all the gifts of virtue and of knowledge. 

12th. The General, God of the Wei , or Wei to {Vedas). This last word 
signifies discourses of science. The Ling wei yao lio states that this god, 
named Wei, and surnamed Khuen, is one of the generals subject to the king 
of the gods of the south {Pi leou le cha, —see § 5). There are thus thirty- 
two generals under the orders of the four kings of the gods, and the present 
is the first of them. He is endowed with great intelligence, and early knew 
how to emancipate himself from the desires of the senses ; he adopted a pure 
and brahmanic (fan hing) conduct, and consecrated himself to virginity and 


CHAPTER XVII. 


137 


deeds of sincerity. Instead of the pleasures of the gods, he received the in¬ 
structions of Buddha. He defends religion from without and protects the 
three continents (, fambudwipa , Videha , Goyeni ) to the great benefit of all 
living beings whom he converts and succours in crowds. Thus whenever a 
Kia lan (temple) is erected, his statue is there placed for adoration, in con¬ 
sideration of the glorious protection be affords to religion. 

13th. The genius called Earth of Solidity . Solidity is the quality of that 
which is indestructible, of that which cannot be broken, as the diamond. 
The word Earth denotes that this genius has merits profitable to the world, 
and that he may be compared to the great earth which sustains all, produ¬ 
cing trees, plants, grain, and all precious things. He keeps and protects all 
places where the doctrine is diffused ; he bears upon his head the teachers 
of the Law, causing them to perceive the savour of a sweet dew, and aug¬ 
menting the strength of their bodies. In the Ti tsang king , Foe says to the 
genius of the Earth; “ All the lands of Jambudwipa receive protection 
from thee. All that the earth produces is furnished in abundance. Thou 
protectest the doctrine of Buddha. In the age, and out of the age, thy merits 

are equally great.” * 

14th. The genius of the Bodhi tree , or of Intelligence , constantly watches 
the places where the Tathagatas accomplish the doctrine, and hence his 
name. He thus speaks of himself; “ I think constantly of Buddha ; I enjoy 
the sight of the Honorable of the Age ; I vow never to separate from the 
sun of Buddha.” He shows moreover his power and his attention in follow¬ 
ing him in his most minute and subtle acts ; he protects all living beings and 
insures them corporeal benefits ; and hence the sacred books are replete with 
his praises, and celebrate his immense deserts. 

15th. The Goddess mother of the demons. This goddess had a thousand 
sons. The youngest, named Ai nou , whom she cherished most tenderly, was 
in the habit of devouring the children of men. Foe converted this Ai nou^ 
and hid him under his pot. His mother sought him in heaven and among 
men, but in vain. She submitted herself (to Foe) ; and Foe removing the 
pot,'restored her son. These thousand children became the kings of the 
demons, of whom they command several legions of ten thousand each. 
There are five hundred in heaven ever occupied in seducing and tormenting 
the gods : and five hundred in the world in a similar manner engaged in 
seducing the people. Foe gave (the mother of the demons) the five pre¬ 
cepts to bring her back to the good law ; she became protapanna , (see 
sequel) and dwells in the temples of Foe. Those who have no children 
address her to obtain them. Those who are sick pray to her and are re¬ 
stored to health. After she had received the precepts from Foe, she sum- 

N 3 



138 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HI AN • 


moned her thousand sons, and induced them to submit as she had, and no 
longer to offend against either gods or men. 

16th. Ma li chi , so called from a word that signifies, flame of day {Yang 
t/an), because his body can neither be perceived nor laid hold of. This god 
ever precedes the sun and the moon. He protects the kingdoms and the 
people, and delivers them from the fury of war and other calamities. In 
the book of the great god Ma li chi, there is a phrase of great efficacy,— 

»' An ! malichi so po ho {Om ! marichi swaha) ; whoever possesses this 
formula is prepared for all; a supernatural power is assured him, and upon 
that he may rely. 

17th. The Son of the Gods who dwell in the palace of the Sun. This god, 
whilst yet in the bonds of cause (i. e. in the world), practised charity, observ¬ 
ed the precepts, cultivated virtue, and honoured Buddha. By these means 
he merited birth among the gods. His palace-walls are adorned with the 
most precious things, while five whirlwinds perpetually hurry it along 
without permitting it to halt a moment. It revolves circularly at one half 
the height of Sumeru, and enlightens the four continents. When it is mid¬ 
day in Jamhudwipa, the sun* begins to set in Vide'ha and to rise in Goyeni > 
whilst at Uttarakuru it is midnight. It is thus that one sun enlightens 
four continents, drives away night from them, dissipates darkness, and 
promotes the maturity of all things. This is the same god that is designat¬ 
ed in the Fa hoa king, Son of the Gods of Precious Light. 

18th. The Son of the Gods of the Palace of the Moon, The god so named 
obtained the same advantages as the preceding, by the practice of similar 
virtues. His palace is similarly adorned with precious things and wheeled 
around Sumeru, by five whirlwinds, so as to illumine the four continents. 
The full and the new moon occur in the following mode. At the commence¬ 
ment of the white moon (the apposition) the sun is before ;—at that of the 
black moon (the conjunction), the sun is behind. According as the reflex of 
the sun is hidden, or apparent, it is new and full moon ; this is what is 
named the sun’s approach; and when the reflex of the sun is diminishing, 
then is the moon’s disk on the wane. Now the moon’s light pours sweet 
and secret influences upon all beings ; she illumes the night. Her services 
succeed those rendered by the sun. This is the same god that is designated 
in the Fa hoa king, ‘ son of the gods of the brilliant moon: 

19th. So ko lo (Sagora), that is to say the salt sea (ocean); a name trans¬ 
lated also king of the dragons. He is the seventh of the hundred and 
seventy-seven kings of the dragons who dwell in the salt sea. He is the 
only one now mentioned, because of his having attained the rank of the 
* Vocal), pentagl. sect. XI. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


139 


most exalted Bodldsattwas, and dwelling in the ten earths,* that is to say, 
haviog passed through the ten degrees that lead the saints to this kind of 
perfection. He shows himself under the figure of a dragon, and makes his 
abode in the salt sea. When rain is about to fall it is he that beforehand 
spreads out the clouds and watches that it be equally distributed. He follows 
the assemblies of Foe, protects his law and his people, and thus himself ac¬ 
quires great merit. His palace, adorned with the seven precious things, 
differs in no respect from that of the gods. 

20th. Yan ma lo, whose name signifies ‘ double king,’ or according to 
others, ‘ unique king ;* double king, because this king and his younger sister 
are sovereigns of hell; unique king, because he has sole charge of that which 
concerns men, whilst his younger sister has the care of what appertains to 
women. His name is also translated as that which allays strife , because 
he puts an end to the disputations of sinners. It is maintained that a Bo_ 
dhisattwa assumed this form for the benefit of living beings. The Chingfa 
nian king contains a gat ha addressed to men, by Yan man lo, in these 
terms : u You have received the body of a man, but you cultivate not the 
doctrine ; this is as it were to enter a treasury and to come out empty hand¬ 
ed ! W r hat avails to utter cries for the pains you endure, when you but suf¬ 
fer the recompense of your own acts ?” The Book of Kings says : “ The 
king Yan (yan ma lo) will in future times become Buddha, and will be 
called Phou wang jou la'i, the Tathagata Universal King. So excellent will 
be the effect of the transformation of this Bodhisattwa.”* His present name 
is Yan ma, or Ye ma, a transcription of the Sanscrit Yama. This deity is 
named in Tibetan g Chin otche, in Mandchou Ilmoun khan, and in Mongol 
Erlik khakan. 

Besides the twenty gods here enumerated, there are many others who have 
no mythological part to play, or who simply occupy sundry celestial man¬ 
sions. Such are the thirty-two gods, the companions of Tndra, who dwell 
with him on the summit of Sumeru, and from whom the region they occupy 
is denominated Trayastrinsha, or the heaven of the thirty-three. These are 
thirty-three personages who having combined together in performing good 
works, merited regeneration in this place. They occupy as many palaces, 
disposed by eights, at each of the four angles of Sumeru ; and the Lord 
of Heaven, Indra, has his in the centre. The names of these gods of 
Trayastrinsha are unknown ; but Indra was their chief at the time of the 
former Buddha. 

They name also Ye ma, in Sanscrit Yama (not the Yama of Hell) and in 
Tibetan Thab bral, he who is remote from war,’ or in * Chinese, happy 
* San tsang fa sou, B. XLVI. p. 13. 


140 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


time,’ because he incessantly sings and plays) a god, who by the observance 
of charity and the precepts, attained to excellence even beyond that of the 
thirty-three.* * * § He was rewarded by translation to the third heaven of the 
world of desires. Then come the gods of Tushita or the ‘ heaven of sufficient 
knowledge,’ and the other heavens ascending up to those of the Brah¬ 
mas, and of the great king Brahma, the first born at the beginning of every 
kalpa, and the first to die at the end. Lastly, the name of gods is bestowed 
on all the beings who inhabit the other heavenly mansions, which added to 
those of which I have already spoken, amount to twenty-eight. The Tibe¬ 
tans minutely detail their stature, the duration of their lives, and other 
circumstances concerning them ; but the Chinese are much less particular.t 

However superior the gods may be to other human passions, the»*e is one 
from which they are by no means entirely exempt; those at least, of the 
inferior mansions. Those who inhabit the two terrestrial mansions on the 
flanks and summit of Sumeru, that is the kings of the cardinal points and 
the thirty-three, are not strangers to the distinction of sex, and cohabit “ in 
the manner of the age.” The gods of Yama propagate by mere embrace ; 
those of Tushita by touching the hands. Those of the heaven of ‘ the joy 
of conversion’ have such limited desires that they confine themselves to the 
interchange of smiles. Lastly, the gods of the sixth heaven, ‘ where they 
convert others , experience scarce any feeling of concupiscence ; mutual looks 
are the only expressions of desire that they direct to each other, and this is 
sufficient for their propagation. % 

In the world of forms the eighteen heavenly mansions are likewise 
inhabited by gods of different ranks. At the ‘ first contemplation’ are the 
Brahmas, or the people of the Brahmas, subjects of the great king Brahma 
pure, free from stain and desire; the ministers of Brahma, or his 
companions ; the great king Brahma, also called Sikhi.§ Purity is the attri¬ 
bute of these three classes of gods. x At the ‘ second contemplation’ there 
are also three heavens, the inhabitants of which are characterised by light , 
feeble in the first, immense in the second, and occupying the place of voice 
in the third. The classes of gods of the ‘ third contemplation' enjoy, in 
similar degrees, a purity of thought which procures them happiness that is 
heavenly, ineffable, immense, universal. All these gods inhabit space, and 
rest upon the clouds. Higher up we come to the gods of the ‘ fourth con¬ 
templation,’ separated into nine different heavens. The lowest of these is 

* In Ida sse ti lun. 

t Giorgi, Alyab. Tibetanem, p. 483. 

j San tsung fa sou, B, XXII. p. 22. 

§ Titian fui sse kiao i tsy cha; a work not belonging to the Sacred Collection, 
but quoted in the San tsang fa sou, B. XXII. p. 22. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


141 


termed ‘ cloudless,’ because the gods who inhabit it have no need of the 
support which clouds lend to the inferior gods. The heaven immediately 
above is that of ‘ happy life.’ Next in ascending comes that of * great re¬ 
wards that of * no reflection,’ i. e. where the gods during the whole term 
of their lives are exempt from the labour of thought; that of ‘ no fatigue,’ 
where the gods have attained the limits of thought; pure intelligences without 
support, without locality, free, exempt from trouble ; that of the gods who 
see admirably all the worlds diffused through space ; that of the gods to 
whom all is present and manifest, without obstacle or restriction ; and lastly 
Aghanishta, or the heaven of those gods who have attained the extreme 
limit of the tenuity of matter. An attempt has been made, as will be readily 
seen, to graduate the perfections of these eighteen classes of gods, by heaping 
on them ideas of purity, of light, of penetration, of repose, and of subtlety ; 
but with very imperfect success; for there are many repetitions and in¬ 
coherencies in this classification, in which moreover various authors differ. 
Some place the heaven of the supreme lord Maheswara vasanam, above 
Aghanishta .* 

In the world of immaterial beings there are again four classes of gods; 
those who, wearied with the bonds of corporeal substance, reside in vacuity, 
or the immaterial; those who have no place {substratum) save knowledge, 
since even void is too gross for them ; the gods who have no place; and last 
of all, those gods, at the head of immaterial beings, who have the attributes 
neither of the non-thinking gods without locality, nor those appertaining to 
the gods of whom knowledge is the sole locality ;'f* a definition too absurd for 
me to seek to clear it up in this place. It must be borne in mind that the 
foregoing long classification includes neither Bodhisattwas or Buddhas, whose 
moral and intellectual perfections are infinitely above those of all the gods 
of the various orders. 

The duration of the lives of the gods is proportioned to their rank in the 
mythological hierarchy here expounded. An Indra, king of the gods of 
Sumeru, lives 36,000,000 years. A great king Brahma equals in longevity 
a grand revolution of the world, 1,344,000,000 years. A god of the ‘ fourth 
contemplation’ {exempt from thought ) sees five hundred such revolutions ; 
and an inhabitant of the last heaven of the incorporeal world, eighty thou¬ 
sand of them. Father Horace and Deshanterayes have published these various 
degrees of longevity, upon which any further remark is unnecessary. We 
must not however suppose that this long duration of life is regarded as a 


* Vocab. pentagl. §. LTIT. p. 9. 
f San tsang fa sou B. XLYII. p. 26. 


142 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


privelege to which no drawback or privation is attached ; for, by way of 
example, the god who passes five hundred revolutions of the world ‘ without 
thoughty is in his inaction, like one imprisoned in ice, and is during this 
period deprived of the advantage of seeing Buddhas, and of hearing religion 
preached ; hence many heretics, who have practised virtue, are reborn in this 
condition.* 

As the gods are subject to the vicissitude of birth and death like other 
beings, although extending through these immense periods, so there are signs 
of decay which announce to them as more or less near the approach of their 
end. They cease to delight in joyous songs, and the shining light of their 
bodies becomes feeble or extinct. In their ordinary state a perfumed oil, 
similar to that of the lotus, protects their chest from the contact of water ; but 
as their glory declines, water begins to moisten their skin, and they are no 
longer dry on emerging from the bath ; and whereas nothing formerly staid 
their steps or retarded the execution of their wishes, they now experience 
obstructions and embarrassments. Their sight, which extended without 
obstacle through a grand chiliocosm , is enfeebled and begins to wink. These 
are the five lesser signs of the decay of their faculties; there are five great 
ones which indicate the approach of death. The gods are ordinarily clad in 
a light robe weighing six chu (the chu is equal to ten grains of millet), and 
hence they are named chu yi ; this robe is always spruce and brilliant with 
the lustre of newness ; but when their happiness is on the wane and their lives 
about to end, their robes soil of themselves ; and this is one of the great 
symptoms of decay among the gods. They wear on their heads coronals of 
flowers, or precious stones, feathers and ornaments of various kinds ; these 
flowers wither and dry up. Their bodies formed of so pure and subtle a 
matter, begin to allow transpiration and humours to escape. The perfumes 
of inexpressible sweetness which they exhaled, are now changed to fetid 
vapors. They themselves cease to delight in their ordained abode in spite 
of all the pleasures accumulated there. 

There are five acts, or rules of conduct, which obtain for man the privelege 
of regeneration among the gods ; and all living beings may practise these 
acts; 1st. To have a compassionate heart, to kill no living being, to take 
pity on all, and procure them rest: 2d. To follow wisdom, to abstain from 
taking the goods of others, to perform alms, to avoid avarice, to help the 
needy : 3d. To be pure, to be guiltless of sensuality, to keep the precepts, 

to fast: 4th. To be sincere, to deceive no one, to avoid the four sins of the 
mouth (lying, affected language, duplicity, calumny), to flatter none: 5th. A 

* Wei mo so shoue king, chapter I. Pa nan, or the Eight Unfortunate Circum¬ 
stances, quoted in San tsang fa sou, B. XXII. p. 24. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


143 


man who honors the good law and walks firmly in the brahmanical way, 
drinks no liquors which intoxicate and disturb the understanding.* 

There are five signs which indicate that a man is about to be born among 
the gods : 1st. A vivid light surrounds his body, and as this is naked, the 
soul thus reflects, “ Provided that the other gods witness not my nudity 
But at the same moment he appears to others clad, though in reality naked. 
2d. He conceives extraordinary thoughts by discovering the things that are in 
heaven ; and on perceiving in the woods and the celestial gardens things which 
he had never before seen, he looks at them and examines them on all sides. 
3d. He is struck with confusion at the appearance of the heavenly damsels, 
and dares not at the sight of their beauty look them in the face. 4th. He is 
tempted to approach the other gods whom he sees ; he ponders, he doubts, 
he hesitates what he should do. 5th. When he would raise himself in 
space, fears overcome him ; he rises not high ; he removes not far ; he coasts 
along the walls, or supports himself upon the earth.f—R. 

(18) The king A yeou : Asoka; see Chap. X. note 3. 

(19) Six toises, about sixty English feet. 

(20) Thirty cubits. —The measure spoken of is the Cheou or cubit. Its 
length is variously estimated. Sometimes at two chhi, (0.610 met.) Some¬ 
times at one chhi and two tsun (0.4575 met.) Four cheou make one koung 
(bow) and three hundred koung make one IL According to this calculation 
the li would be 549 or even 732 metres.—R. 

[The French metre is equal to 39.37 English inches, as determined by 
Kater.—J. W. L.] 

(21) Heterodox philosophers.— Such are frequently spoken of in Bud¬ 
dhist books, and we must in general understand them to be brahmans, 
though sometimes it may be that other oriental sects also are alluded to 
under this denomination. Their discussions with the Samaneans are fre¬ 
quently alluded to in narratives of the lives of Sakya Muni and his succes¬ 
sors. The narratives of Soung yan and Hiuan thsang establish the advan¬ 
tage the brahmans had obtained over their ancestors in the 6th and 7th 
centuries, and the corresponding decline of Buddhism in the central, western, 
and northern regions of Hindustan. We shall make no reference here to the 
doctrines of the heretics except inasmuch as they relate to the earlier times 
of Buddhism. 

There are reckoned six principal heresiarchs, whose depraved hearts, 
preverse views, and mistaken judgment, disaffected to the true doctrine, 

* Pian i chang che tseu so wen king, B. XXII. p. 18. verso. 

t Clung fa nian chou king , B. XXXIX, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, B. 
XXII. p. 19. 


144 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


brought forth error. The commencement of all these heresies is referred to 
Kia pi lo (the yellow, in Sanscrit Kapila ); but they are divided into branches, 
and their propagation gave rise to six principal ones : 

1st. Fou lan na kia she. Fou lan na , was the title of this heresiarch, the 
translation of which is not given. Kia she (Kasyapa) was the name of his 
mother, and became that of the family. The heresy of this man consisted 
in the repudiation of all law ; he recognised neither prince nor subject; 
father nor son ; honesty of heart, nor filial piety. He called it form and 
void {ether). Form, according to this heretic, breaks down whatever is in 
the world of desires ; Void , whatever is in the world of forms. Void is 
therefore the supreme fact, the being above all beings. 

2d. Mo kia li kin she li. Mo kia li (in Sanscrit, non videns rationem ) is 
the title of this man. Kiu she li , the meaning of which is not given, is the 
name of his mother. He falsely inferred that the evil and the good experi¬ 
enced by living beings, arose, not from anterior acts, but of themselves. 
This opinion of the spontaneity of things is an error which excludes the 
succession of causes. 

3d. Shan che ye pi lo chi. Shan che ye (Sanjaya) signifies recta victoria , 
and is the title of this heretic. Pi lo chi {Vairagi), non agens ,—is the 
name of his mother. His heresy consists in thinking that it is not neces¬ 
sary to seek the doctrine ( bodhi) in the sacred books, as the same will be 
obtained of itself when the number of Kalpas of birth and death have been 
exhausted. He thought also that after eighty thousand Kalpas the doc¬ 
trine would be obtained naturally. 

4th. A khi to hiue she khin pho lo. A khi to hiue she, was the title of 
this heresiarch, the explanation of which is not given. His surname, Khin 
pho lo (Kamhala) signifies ‘ coarse garments' His error consisted in sup¬ 
posing that destiny might be controlled,—that happiness might be ob¬ 
tained, for example, independently of causes in an anterior existence ; that 
the doctrine consisted in wearing coarse garments, tearing out the hair, 
exposing the nostrils to smoke, and the body to heat on five sides (the four 
sides of the body, and having fire besides on the head) ; in submitting in 
short to all manner of mortifications, in the hope that having in the present 
life experienced all sorts of suffering, eternal happiness would be obtained 
in a future existence. 

5th. Kia lo kieou tho kia chin yan. Kia lo kieou tho , the title of this 
heretic, signifies ‘ Chest of ox.' Kia chin yan, * Shaven hair,' was his family 
name. His error, not well defined, consists in asserting, that of the laws, 
some are accessible to the understanding, and others are not so. 

6th. Ni kian tho jo thi tseu. Ni kian tho signifies ‘ exempt from bonds,' 


CHAPTER XVII. 


145 


and is a very common title of heretics. He derived from his mother the 
name of Jo thi., the signification of which is not known. This heretic assert¬ 
ed that crimes and virtues, happiness and misery, were fixed by fate; 
that as subject to these we cannot avoid them ; and that the practice 
of the doctrine can in no wise assist us. In this notion his heresy 
consisted.* 

The ideas adopted by the heretics on certain points of the law, are called 
views, that is, particular ways of seeing,—hypotheses,—enunciated opinions. 
They take, in various doctrines, false things for true ones, and verities for 
errors ; they entangle men with explanations, and seduce them from right 
reason. There are seven views of this kind. The first consists in speaking ill 
of the law, in attacking it without proof, in treating as erroneous the senti¬ 
ment of retribution for good or evil acts, and the doctrine of the origin of the 
six senses and the six sensible qualities ; to refer them, for instance, to the god 
Brahma or to atoms. The second is the ‘ view of me? which makes the party 
a sort of lord and master, existing of his own power, and constituting 
me (egotism or individuality), in ignorance that person is nothing more than 
the vain and transient union of the five shandha.f The ‘ view of perpe¬ 
tual duration contemns the fluctuation of the person and the body, 
as also the doctrine that all external beings, whoever they be, are, without 
exception, subject to destruction, and return to extinction. Those who admit 
the ‘ view of termination 1 know not that the laws (of nature) are naturally 
spiritual, eternal, indestructible ; they erroneously deem them subject to a 
term, and falsely conclude that after death the body is not subject to re-birth. 
The fifth view is called prceceptorumfurtum, or visionis captio; it consists in 
despising the veritable precepts laid down by the Tathagatas, and in follow- 
ing other wicked precepts by which men distinguish and separate them¬ 
selves from others to advance therein: as for example, where one per¬ 
suades himself that he had been in a former existence, an ox or a dog, and 
restricts himself to feed on grass or impure objects ; this is called following 
the 1 precept of the ox or dog In truth, small merit is acquired thus, 
although some persuade themselves that it is sufficient. They thus lead a 
disorderly life, and neglect the observance of the true concatenation of 
things. By the sixth view, called fructuum furtum, despising the same 
concatenation, as well as the fruits which are rightly expected from actions, 
they turn excellent resolutions into a blamable conduct, and strive to 

obtain the merit of mortification by exposing themselves naked to the 

♦ 

* Tho lo ni tsy king; Collection of the Dharanis. Fan y ming i, quoted in the 
San tsang fa sou. Book XXVII. p. 11, 

t Vocab. pentugl. sect. XXXIII, 


O 


146 


pilgrimage of fa hian. 


rigors of cold or to the heat of fire and of the sun, (named the five heats) 
in covering themselves with ashes, and sleeping upon thorny plants; and 
the trifling merit derived from these acts, they exaggerate by a false persua¬ 
sion that there is none superior. Lastly, the seventh view, called that « of 
doubt,’ consists in hesitating among all these opinions, whether of xndi- 
viduality, or non-individuality ; eternal duration, or non-eternal duration 
without the power of making up the mind to either of these classes of 

ideas.* , , - 

We are elsewhere assured that heterodox opinions do not exceed four in 

number • but the views are announced in an almost enigmatic manner. The 
partisans of the system of numbers (sankhyd) admit only unum amongst 
causes and effects, and not diver,um. Those of the opposite system see 
nothing among these but diver sum. Those of the Le so pho (R.shabna) 
admit equally unum and diversnm.f In the absence of elucidations, it is 
difficult to say whether logic or cosmogony is here referred to. 

The heretics are equally divided upon the identity of ego and the five 
t Skandha)-. some think that ego and the five (Skandha) equally exist. 
others that neither do. Others again, to escape the preceding errors, believe 
that ego and the five Skandha both do and do not exist, thus falling into a 
manifest contradiction. The last, to avoid this contradiction, assert by a 
kind of play of words, that ego and the five Skandha are neither existent 
nor non-existent,+ a difficulty which orthodox Buddhism can alone explain 
away The heretics again deny the duration of ego : some think that the 
ego of preceding generations is the same as that of the present one, without 
interruption, and so fall into the error of perpetuity. Others think that the 
ego of now began in the present generation and not in foregoing ones i they 
therefore believe it not eternal, and so fall into the hypothesis of interruption. 
Others think that ego is eternal and that the body is not so ; but in this 
way the body is set aside, and is no part of ego. This therefore is an erro¬ 
neous notion. Lastly, others have remarked that the bod, being compound 
(diversum) is not eternal; and that ego not being compound, cannot be 
eternal. But in this manner also, there can be no ego without the body.§ 

In several legends concerning Sakya Muni, some controversies are men¬ 
tioned which that personage and his disciples held with the partisans of 
ninety-five sects: but we learn that this number was reduced to eleven, 
whose doctrines, books and discipline were diffused throughout the east. 
They are pointed out as follows: 1st. The sectaries of the doctrine of 


* San tsang fa sou, B. XXX. p. 2, v. 
+ Ibidem, XVII. p. 26, verso. 
t Idem, B. XVIII. 

$ Ibid. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


147 


numbers ( Sankhya ) ; so called either because they discourse in the first place 
of numbers, or because ratiocination begets (proceeds by) number ; or be¬ 
cause they treat of numbers and make these their study. They teach that 
darkness begets intelligence, and that, up to spiritual ego , there are twenty- 
five principles or realities ; 1st, obscurity, or primordial nature, (natura per 
se ;) 2d. The principle of knowledge or intelligence ( Buddha ) ; 3d. The 
thought of ego (conscience) ; 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, the five subtile things, 
or colour, sound, odour, savour, and tactility. 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 
the five great (beings), earth, water, fire, air, and ether; 14th, 15th, 16th 
17th, 18th, the five roots of knowledge, the eye, the ear, the nose, the 
tongue, and the body; 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, the five roots of action, the 
mouth, the hand, the foot, the fundament, the urethra; 24, the co-disposing 
root of the heart, or mens, composed of five elements and completing with ten 
preceding the eleven roots ; 25, the spiritual ego, or the knowledge that has 
its seat in the eighth viscus. The heretics believe that the spiritual ego is able 
to beget the laws, that it is eternal, indestructible, and that it is the nirvana* 

The discovery of these twenty-five principles is ascribed to Kia pi lo 
( Kapila or the Tawny). Those who adopt his opinions, devote themselves 
to contemplation ; they pretend to possess divine intelligence, and to be able 
to come to the knowledge of what has happened during eighty thousand 
Kalpas. As for what happened before these Kalpas, they know nothing 
about it, and hence name it obscurity, whence arises nature, then under¬ 
standing, then the intellectual ego , the supreme principle. They arrange 
these 25 principles under nine divisions ; but in reality they make the first 
twenty-four principles originate from the twenty-fifth, the spiritual ego, 
which they consider the Lord, ever intelligent and enlightened, eternal, in¬ 
destructible, embracing and including all the laws, by consequence unique, 
the cause of all beings, and of nirvana itself. 

2d. The sectaries of the Wei chi (Vaishesika), a Sanscrit word signifying 
« without superior ,’ 1 without victor 7 This man appeared in the world 800 
years before Buddha. The people of his time hid themselves during the 
daytime in the mountains and marshes to avoid noise and distractions. At 
night they saw and heard well, and came forth to beg. In this they resem¬ 
bled the owls, and were hence named the owl-hermits. Wei chi had the five 
faculties (see above p. 125); he composed ten times ten thousand verses in 
testimony of bodhi, and then joyously entered nirvana. He put forward 
the six generative words: 1st. Substance, which is the body of the laws 
(of nature) upon which quality and action are supported ; 2d. Virtue, or 

quality; 3d. Action, use, or employment. 4th. The great being, that is 
* San t&ang fa sou, B, XL VII. p. 26. 

o 2 


148 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


what is common to substance, quality and action, or these three predicaments 
considered in their unity. 5th. The common and the different; as for 
example, the earth considered with reference to earth,—this is the common ; 
with reference to water, this is the different ; and so on with water, fire, 
air, &c. 6th. Union or aggregation ; by which is understood the union of 
all the laws (of nature). For exemplification,—a bird is flying in space; 
suddenly he arrives at the branch of a tree ; he stops there. It is the same 
of the laws (of nature) in the union of which stability consists. 

3d. Sectaries who cover themselves with ashes (Vibhuti) ; these imagine 
that the sixth god of the world of desires, Isivara, created all things. 

4th. The sectaries of the Vedas imagine that Narayana, (he whose 
strength is comparable to a lock by reason of the strong articulation of his 
members) created the four families ; that from his mouth were created 
the Brahmans, from his arms the Kshetriyas, from his thighs the Vaisyas 
and from his feet the Shudras. 

5th. The partisans of the An chha (Anda , egg, Hiranya garlha of Indian 
mythology) ; these admit a first principle, or end of the past. They believe 
that in the beginning of the world there were vast waters. Then was pro- 
duced the great An chha , which had the form of a fowl's egg. It divided 
into two parts or sections ; the upper produced the heaven ; the lower, the 
earth. Betwixt these was produced a god, Brahma, who had the power of 
creating all beings without exception, animate and inanimate. They con¬ 
sider Brahma as the lord and creator. By another error they believe him 
immortal.* 

6th. The sectaries who admit of time, that is to say, who believe that 
beings are born of time, remark that plants, trees and other vegetables have 
one time for the production of flowers, another for that of fruits ; that there is 
a time to make use of them ; that sometimes there is an expansion, sometimes 
a contraction, so that a branch of a tree is at one time covered with flowers, 
at another it is dried up. They hence infer that time exists, although it be 
a thing invisible and infinitely subtle. 

7th. The sectaries who recognise in space the principle of all things. 
Space or extension doth, according to them, beget all things,—men, the 
heaven and the earth; and after their extinction, these return to original 
space. 

8th. The Lou kia ye (Laokika), so called from a word signifying ‘ con¬ 
formable with the age,’ believe that form, thought, and other laws (of na¬ 
ture) are infinitely subtle principles ; and that these are produced from the 
four great beings (the elements) ; that the subtle may beget the gross ; and 
* San Hang fa sou, B. XVII. p. 26, verso. 


CHAPTER XVII. 149 

that the grosser beings of the universe are perishable, but that subtile causes 
are indestructible. 

9th. The sectaries, * strony of mouth,’ are those who admit ether as 
the principle of all things ; they believe that ether begets air; that air 
begets fire ; fire, heat; heat, water ; water, ice; which solidified becomes 
earth. The earth begets five diverse sorts of grain ; these produce life, 
which when destroyed, is reduced to ether. 

10th. The sect of those who believe that happiness or misery follows the 
actions of men ; and that there are punishment and reward suitable to the 
actions performed during life. If any one observe the precepts and practise 
virtue, the sufferings of the soul and body which he undergoes, efface ante¬ 
rior acts ; and when these are destroyed, sufferings also cease and nirvana is 
attained. Anterior acts are therefore, according to these sectaries, the 
universal cause. 

11th. The sectaries who admit of no cause, but maintain that every thing 
happens of itself; who believe that beings are neither yiu nor youan , that is, 
neither dependent a parte priori, nor linked a parte posteriori; that all is 
produced and destroyed of its own spontaneity.* We have seen (note 14) 
that nine different opinions upon the origin and production of the world 
have been declared heterodox by the Buddhists. The heretics, say they, 
understand not that the laws of nature have had no beginning and will have 
no end. When causes and effects are combined and concatenated, they 
erroneously call this birth; when causes and effects are disunited and iso¬ 
lated, they falsely denominate this extinction. Birth and extinction follow 
destiny (are its effects), and are not in truth the realities of nature. But, 
following their peculiar caprices, some have thought that that which produces 
birth is a distinct creature, who had the power to form the world and all 
beings. There are, as respects this matter, nine ‘ false views’ (erroneous 
hypotheses) ; 1st. There are heretics who believe that all beings are born of 
time; as trees have a time to bear flowers, and a time not to bear them. 
Time therefore exercises an action ; it expands and it contracts. It causes 
the branch of a tree, according to the season, to clothe itself with leaves, or 
to wither. Time, although so subtle and imperceptible a substance, mani¬ 
fests its existence by its action upon flowers, fruits, and other objects of the 
same kind. Time therefore is to be taken as an eternal being, the sole 
cause of all beings, even of nirvana. 2d. The partisans of space suppose 
that the four parts of space, namely, the east, the west, the north and the 
south, are able to produce men, the heaven, and the earth ; and that after 
extinction, all these return to space: ether, the universe, all, is space. Space 
is that by which men and all beings live and die ; nothing is independent of 
* San tsang fa sou , B. XLIII. p. 24. 

o 3 


150 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


space. Space must be taken therefore for an eternal being, &c. 3d. Atoms, 
that is the most attenuated particles of dust, have been held by the parti¬ 
sans of Lou kia ye (‘ conformable with the age’) as begetting form, thought, 
and the other laws. They say that the most subtle particles of the four 
great (beings), that is the elements, are eternal, and capable of engendering 
the grosser beings *, that although their form be exceedingly subtle, the sub - 
stance or matter still exists ; and that while the grosser substances of the 
world are changeable, their cause, exceedingly subtle, is unchangeable ; they 
hence maintain that these subtle elements are the unique, eternal being, &c* 
4th. Ether or empty space , is considered by the sectaries designated strong 
of mouth (ore fortes ) as the cause of all beings ; for they say, of ether is 
begotten air ; of air, fire; of fire, heat; of heat, water; of water, ice; 
of indurated ice, earth ; of earth, the five kinds of grain ; of these, life; and 
life, on its termination, returns to empty space. In the opinion of these 
therefore, ether is the eternal, unique being, &c. 5th. The sectaries who 
conform to the age admit the seed of the elements, that is of earth, water, 
fire, and air, as being sufficient to cause all things;'they believe that all 
the beings in the universe are born of the four elements, and on their de¬ 
struction, return to these. For example, in the body (literally the root of 
the body), the solid part corresponds with earth ; the humid part, with 
water ; the warmth, with fire ; the mobile part (or mobility), with air. 
From this we may infer that the body, and all beings, differ in no respect 
from the four elements. Thus the seed of the four elements is, according to 
these sectaries, the unique, eternal being, &c. 6th. The spiritual I, or that 
which heretics call the knowledge of the eighth viscus . Kia pi lo and his 
sectaries teach, as we have already seen, that the principle of the twenty- 
five realities, or the obscure principle, produces intelligence ; that of intelli¬ 
gence is born the thought of I; that the thought of 1 begets color, sound, 
smell, taste, and touch, or the five atoms ; that of the five atoms are born 
the five elements, earth, water, fire, air, and ether ; that of the five elements 
are born the eleven roots, the eye, the nose, the tongue, the body, the mens, 
the hand, the foot, the mouth, the intestinal orifice, and the urethra, which, 
with the spiritual I, make twenty-five principles, the first-twenty four of 
which are born of the spiritual I, and depend upon it as upon a master. 
They look upon this spiritual I as eternal, intelligent, enlightened, and 
quiescent. In it reside eternity and indestructibility ; it includes and embraces 
all the laws (of nature). They accordingly regard it as unique being, &c. 
7th. The partisans of the Vedas recognise the excellent vanquisher, or 
Nardyana, the most excellent and the most victorious of the Gods, he who 
begot the four families or castes. From his navel issued a great lotus, and 


CHAPTER XVII. 


151 


of this lotus was born the god Brahma, who possessed the power of creating 
all things. The victorious god is, according to this system, superior to 
Brahma, and it is he who is regarded by these sectaries as the unique, eter¬ 
nal being, &c. 8th. The worshippers of the Lord (Ishwara), or the governor of 
the three thousand worlds, residing in the heaven called Aghanishta. These 
sectaries rub themselves over with ashes, as do also the brahmans in general, 
who regard this god as the cause of all things. They attribute to him four 
virtues (guna) ; substance, or substantial reality, ubiquity, eternity, and 
the power of creating all the laws (of nature). They assert also that this 
god has three bodies ; the body of the law, signifying that his substance is 
eternal, universally diffused, and co-extensive with empty space, and having 
the power of creating all things ; the body that disposes , because superior to 
forms ; the body of transformations , because he converts in the six conditions 
all the beings whose form he assumes. 9th. The partizans of Maha Brahma.* 

Nine other points are enumerated upon which the heretics are at fault in 
regard to form, relation, cause, effect, sight, nature, concatenation (destiny), 
action, conduct; and which have been expounded by the Tathagatas to the 
very intelligent Bodhisattwa in the congregation of Lanka, to spare all subse¬ 
quent ages the danger of mistake on this subject. There are twenty kinds 
of error respecting the nature of nirvana .- 1st. The death of the body when 
it is destroyed, and when respiration ceases and goes out like a lamp, is so 
called. 2d. Those who deem space to be the prime being, name the 
destruction and return of the universe to its origin, nirvana. 3d. Those 
who believe air to produce, prolong, and destroy life, and to give birth to 
all things, called the air nirvana. 4th. The heretical followers of the Vedas 
believe, as we have seen, that a lotus arose from the navel of Narayana, from 
which sprung the prince and father of the gods, Brahma, who gave birth to 
all beings, animate and inanimate, which issued from his mouth ; as also all 
the great lands, the theatre of happiness, virtue, and the precepts, where 
are presented in offering flowers and plants, and victims such as hogs, sheep, 
asses, horses, &c. Birth in such lands is called by them nirvana. 5th. The 
heretics of I she na, and their different offsets, assert that the venerable 
master I she na is invisible, and fills all space ; and that he can of what is 
invisible and formless, constitute all beings, animate and in animate, and all 
things without exception. They call him therefore nirvana. 6th. The 
heretics that go about naked think that the clear and distinct perception of 
all things in their different modes of being is nirvana. 7th. The partisans 
of Pi shi assert that the union or combination of the earth, water, fire, 

* TToua yan king, Soui sou yan i chhao, quoted in the San tsang Ja sou, B, 
XXXV. p. 3. 


152 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


air, and ether, of atoms and other beings, begets the world and all beings in¬ 
telligent or unintelligent; that when there is no union, there is then disper¬ 
sion ; and that this dispersion is nirvana. 8th. The heretics who mortify 
the body name thus the end of that body and of the happiness it might 
enjoy. 9th. Those who place themselves in dependence upon woman, be¬ 
lieve that the supreme lord, Ma i sheou lo (Mahd Ishwara), made a woman 
of whom were born gods, men, dragons, birds, as well as all the beings pro¬ 
duced from eggs, serpents, scorpions, flies, &c. And that he who under¬ 
stands this is in nirvana. 10th. The sectaries who give themselves up to 
bodily mortifications (i tapasv'i), think that sins and happiness have an end 5 
and that virtue has one also ; and that this is nirvana. 11th. The sectaries 
named of the pure eye , believe that passions have their limit; they attach 
themselves therefore to prudence ( prajna ), which is their nirvana. 12th. The 
sectaries of Ma tho lo believe that their master, Narayana, hath said : S* It is 
I who made all things ; I am the being of all beings ; I created all worlds. 
All animate and inanimate beings are born of me ; and when they return to 
another place ( paratra), that is called nirvana 13th. The partisans of Ni 
kian tseu say that there were born in the first place a male and a female, 
and that from the union of these are produced all things, animate and inani¬ 
mate ; and when the latter separate and return on their destruction to an¬ 
other place , that is nirvana. 14th. The sectaries of Seng kia (Sankhya) 
admit the twenty-five principles as being the cause of nature and of all 
beings, and they call this nirvdnd. 15th. The sectaries of Ma i sheou lo 
{Mahd Ishwara) say that it was in truth Brahma who produced Narayana, 
who is the cause. That which they call Brahma and Narayana are sover¬ 
eign gods and lords, the cause of birth and of extinction ; all things are 
born of the lord, and are extinguished of the lord, who is therefore nirvana. 
16th. Those sectaries who admit of no cause, say that it is neither cause nor 
effect that produced all beings; that there is neither pure cause nor impure 
cause; that the thorns of a prickly plant and the colours of the peacock are 
the work of no one, but exist of themselves unbegotten of any cause. 17th. 
The partisans of tune say that time ripens all the elements, forms all beings, 
and disperses them. It is said in the books of these heretics that though 
struck with a hundred arrows if your time has not come, you cannot die ; 
but if your time have come, contact with the slightest plant will destroy 
you forthwith. All things are produced by time, matured by time, and ex¬ 
tinguished by time. 18th. The sectaries of water believe that water is the 
principle of all things; that it formed the heaven and the earth, and all 
beings, animate and inanimate ; that it can make and destroy ; and they call 
it nirvana. 19th. The partisans of the ether system think ether the cause 


CHAPTER XVII. 


153 


and first principle of all things ; that of ether is born air, and then other 
elements in succession, as already mentioned. The earth begets all kinds of 
seeds and medicinal herbs after their kinds, amongst which are grains con¬ 
ducive to life, which after being nourished, returns at last to ether. 20th. 
The sectaries who believe in the An chha (Anda ) think that there were 
originally no sun, no moon, no stars, no earth, no ether. There was but a 
vast water. The great An chha was there produced of the form of a hen’s 
egg, of the colour of gold; when it arrived at maturity, it separated in two 
parts, between which Brahma was born, as seen above. When animate or 
inanimate beings are dissipated and lost in the other place , this is called 
nirvana .* 

Independently of the erroneous opinions which they profess on points of 
doctrine, there are observances which the heretics deem requisite to assure 
them real merit. Six kinds of mortification are reckoned among the heretics : 
1st. They refuse to eat and drink, and endure for a long time hunger and 
thirst, vainly persuading themselves that they thus acquire a title to 
reward. 2d. They plunge into very cold streams. 3d. They burn them¬ 
selves on different parts of their bodies, or breathe burning vapors by the 
nostrils. 4th. They remain perpetually seated, naked, and exposed to cold 
and heat. 5th. They select cemeteries and funeral groves for their dwell¬ 
ing-places, and bind themselves to perpetual silence. 6th. Some pretend 
that in anterior existences they were oxen or dogs, and observe therefore what 
are called the precepts of the ox or dog , that is, they browse on the grass, 
and drink foul water in the hope of re-birth in heaven.f 

There are five kinds of doubts to which heretics are prone, named the five 
cut thoughts (cogitationum prsecisiones). 1st. They doubt about Foe, and 
reason thus ; “ Is Foe great ? is he Fou lau na, or every other that is great ?” 
Which amounts to blasphemy and the destruction of the good principles 
(roots) of the thoughts. These heretics believe that all the laws have no 
existence, like vacuity, and are subject neither to birth nor extinction. 2d. They 
doubt about the law, and inquire whether the law of Foe or that of the Vedas 
be the better ? the Vedas ( wei tho), the title of which signifies discourses of 
science , are compositions replete with the false science of the heretics. 3d. 
They have doubts concerning the Seng (Sanga), not knowing whether the 
disciples of Foe or those of Fou lan ma deserve the preference. Hence 
they believe not in the Three Precious (Ones), Buddha, Dharma and Sanga, 
and this is elsewhere declared to be an unpardonable sin; stupid and 

* Thi pho phou sa ; Shy leng kia king ; Wei tao siao clung ; Ni phan king ; 
quoted in the San tsang fa son, B. XLVI. p. 20. 

f San tsang fa sou, B. XXVII. p. 12. verso, 




154 PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 

ignorant men who in their perversity believe not in the three precious ones, 
and who are without rectitude and filial piety, but who abound in the elements 
of all crimes which expose them to retributions, are at their death as 
certain to fall into the evil conditions (see above), as the shadow is 
certain to follow the substance. This is one of those crimes from which 
there is no delivery, with however much desire it may be attempted. 4th. 
They doubt the precepts ; instead of having perfect confidence in the pre¬ 
cepts, they ask themselves if it were not more useful to adhere to the prac¬ 
tice called that of ‘ the hen and the dog,' which consists in supporting one’s - 
self on a single leg like a hen, or of feeding upon foul aliment like a dog ; 
or in other austerities which require the renunciation of good manners. 5th. 
They doubt the truth of the Precepts, that is they hesitate betwixt the 
Precepts of Foe and those of Fou lan na.* 

According to the account of Seng chao, master of the law, the heretics 
multiplied eight hundred years after Foe entered nirvana ; they established 
violent sects and wicked doctrines; repressed truth, and disturbed sound 
judgment. It was then that Deva Bodhisattwa, disciple of Loung shou 
(Naga krdchuna) composed the work entitled Pe tun , (the hundred dis¬ 
courses) defending truth and closing the road to error .f 

Long as the foregoing note may appear, the reader will not deem it too 
much so when he considers that in showing us what the Buddhists held to 
be heterodox opinions, it places us in a better condition to decide upon what 
they held to be orthodoxy. It is a round-about but certain way of funda¬ 
mentally understanding a doctrine to contrast the latter with all that its 
partisans hold to be erroneous in other creeds. Lastly, amongst all passages 
in Chinese authors relative to what the Buddhists denominate heresies, I 
have met with none that was particularly applicable to the fire wor¬ 
shippers of Persia, of whom it would appear that certain legends written in 
Mongolian make mention under the name of Tarsa. —R. 

(22) A loud roar. —This prodigy is very famous, and is apparently 
alluded to in a book which I have found several times quoted under 
the title of Fa fang kouang sse tseu heou king , that is to say, apparently 
the Sanscrit words Maha va'ipulya Sinhanddanddi. There was a Bodhisattwa 
whose name, Sinhanddanddi , ‘ roaring of the lion ,’ appears to refer to a 
similar circumstance.—R. 

(23) Divine sustenance; —an ascetic phrase, signifying apparently con¬ 
templation, or meditation ; applied to the most sublime perfections of the 
understanding.—R. 

* Chliing chy lun, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, B. XXIV. p. 9. verso. 

t San tsang fa sou , Chapter of the San lun , or three discourses , B. IX. p. 15. 
verso. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


155 


(24) The men of the age ;—a designation used to distinguish ordinary men 
from the saints of different ranks who have delivered themselves from cor¬ 
poreal bonds, and assured themselves against human infirmities.—R. 

(25) His hair and his nails .—Compare the account of Hiuoan thsang, in 

his description of Ayodya, of Sou lou kin na, and of Kiu pi shouang na. The 
hair, nails, and teeth of the Buddhas, Bodhisattwas, and other saints, are the 
relics most ordinarily spoken of, and over which sthupas were erected._R. 

(26) The three Foes of the past times .—that is, Karkuchanda, Kanaka 
Muni, and Kasyapa.—R. 

(27) Shy kia wen , or Shy kia muni ,—the anchoret, or ornament of the 
house of Sakya; for Sakya is the family, and not the personal name of the 
last Buddha, and is used in the latter sense by way of abbreviation only. 

There was a very ancient Buddha of the name of Sakya in the time called 
the three asankya, when our Buddha began the period of his existence, 
was then named Fa kouang ming, ‘ the very luminous.' This application 
of the same name to two or more personages has been but little attended to. 
Thus we have two Amitabhas, two Sakya Muni’s, two Avalokiteswaras, 
&c.—R. 

(28) A dragon .—The Chinese word Loung corresponds with the Indian 
term Naga. The idea of a fabulous being analogous to reptiles, but endowed 
with the faculty of flight, is much more ancient in China than the Buddhist 
religion. It would be curious to ascertain if this idea had not been taken 
from India from the highest antiquity, and whether Loung is not a corrup¬ 
tion of the Sanscrit Naga. The reference here is not to the part that dragons 
play in the national mythology of the Chinese, but to that assigned them in 
the fables of the Buddhists. 

There are eight classes of intelligent beings to whom the doctrines be¬ 
queathed by the Buddhas may be profitable, and may secure ultimate deli¬ 
verance : these are the eight classes who are represented as attending in 
crowds (like the shrubs of a thicket), upon the preachings and the assem¬ 
blies of the saints of the three translations , that is to say, of the Sravakas 
the Nidana Buddhas, and the Bodhisattwas : 1st, the gods ( Devas) ; 2d, the 
dragons {Loung, Naga ) ; 3d. the Ye cha {Yakshas); 4th, the Kan tha pho 
{Gandharvas); 5th, the A sieoulo ( Asuras ); 6th, th eKia leou lo {Garuras ) ; 
7th, the Kin na lo {Kinnaras); 8th, the Ma heou lo kia {Mahoragus). 

I shall have occasion in the sequel of these notes to recur to the different 
classes of genii; at present I shall restrict myself to the consideration of the 
Nagas, who, as we see, occupy a place amongst beings superior to man and 
endowed with reason. They are, say the Buddhists, intelligent animals. In 
the ‘ Book of the Peacock ’ {Khoung tsio king), the ‘ Book of Great Clouds' 


156 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


(Ta yun king ), and other sacred works, we find the dragons named by their 
titles, and their kings designated as protectors of the law of Buddha.* There 
are in the sea, one hundred and seventy-seven kings of the dragons. The 
seventh is named So kie lo , * the salt sea’ (Sagara) ; he is the nineteenth 
of the twenty gods, and is the most powerful dragon-king. It is he who 
when the Bodhisattwas reside in the ten earths (or grades of unification) 
appears with his dragon-body above the ocean. When it rains, it is he who 
spreads (over the skies) the thick clouds so as to ensure the most ad¬ 
vantageous rain for all. He constantly attends the assemblies of Buddha ; 
defends the law, protects the people, and thus acquires for himself great 
merits. His palace is adorned with the seven precious things, and pre¬ 
sents the same magnificence as those of the gods. It is in this palace that 
the dragons compiled the work called Hia pen king, or * the Last Volume, 
from the discourses of Manjusri and Ananda ; and it is there that the Bodhi- 
sattwa, Naga kochuna saw it when he penetrated the palace of the dragons. 
This book was divided into three parts, or volumes ; the superior, the mean, 
and the inferior. The inferior contained a hundred thousand gathas, dis¬ 
tributed into forty-eight classes. Naga kochuna retained them in his memo¬ 
ry, and published them to the world. There, too, are preserved books of 
marvellous extent, seeing that one among them contains as many gathas as 
there are atoms in ten great chiliocosms, and as many sections as there are 
atoms in the four mundane continents.f 

Dragons are produced in four different ways ; from an egg, from the 
womb, from humidity, and by transformation, according as they dwell to 
the east, the south, the west, or the north of the tree Cha she ma li (herd 
of deer). Their palaces are adorned with the seven precious things. They 
enjoy, as do other creatures superior to man, the faculty of transformation, 
saving on five particular occasions, when it is not permitted them to conceal 
their form ; namely, at their birth, at their death, at the time of their mer¬ 
riment, when they are angry, and when asleep. It is narrated on this sub¬ 
ject that at the time when Buddha was with the Sangas in the garden Ky 
kou tou, there was a king of the dragons of the sea, who, endued with human 
form, came and asked to embrace religious life. The Bhikshus, ignorant 
that they were dealing with a dragon, received him according to his request. 
The dragon-monk withdrew to yield himself up to contemplation ; but the 
dragons are of a dull stupid disposition ; he became drowsy, and having 
lost the faculty of disguising himself, his body entirely filled the apartment. 

* Fan y ming i, B. II. Chapt. ‘ of the eight classes .’ 

t Houa yan king sou , or History of the Gods, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, 
B, XLVI.p. 10 v. 



CHAPTER XVII. 


157 


The Bhikshus who dwelt with him, having returned to the house, were seized 
with terror on beholding him. They uttered loud cries to summon their 
companions, and thus awakened the dragon, who resumed the figure of a bhi- 
kshu, and sat with his legs crossed in the attitude of meditation. The disap¬ 
pearance of the dragon, and the restoration of the monk renewed the terror 
of the assembly, which immediately reported the affair to Buddha. “ This 
is not,” said he, “ a man, but a king of the dragons." He then summoned 
him, preached the law in his behalf, directed his return to the palace of the 
dragons, and forbade the bhikshus ever to admit a dragon to monastic life. 
This gave Buddha occasion to explain the five circumstances appertaining to 
the destiny of this class of beings.* The dragons are the kings of scaly animals 
and of those called insects. They can conceal themselves, or shine with a 
brilliant light, and assume a larger or a smaller stature ; but they are subject 
to three scourges which torment their existence. They dread the scorching 
winds and burning sands, which consume their skin and flesh and occasion 
them the most lively pain in their bones. They are liable to fall in the midst of 
tempests, which occasion them to lose the ornaments which embellish their 
garments, and strip them naked, circumstances infinitely annoying to them. 
Lastly, they dread that, while they are disporting the Garuda, enter the 
palace and carry away the newly born dragons, upon which he feeds. 

We shall see in the course of this narative many fabulous adventures, in 
which dragons of either sex figure ;—and shall then take occasion to recur 
to the subject.—R. 

(29) Fifty Yojans :—about 2 to 300 miles. 

(30) Limit of fire ;—in the text Ho king. The great distance here indi¬ 
cated, if it is not erroneous, carries us to the northern boundaries of India, or 
even to Tibet, in the direction of the sources of the Ganges. 

There is doubtless in the name of the evil genius, * Boundary of fire* 
an allusion to some legend that has hitherto escaped our research, and per¬ 
haps some tradition of a volcanic eruption ; or it may refer to thermal springs 
such as are found in the Himalaya. Father d’Andrada, speaking of the 
element of fire, repeats a fable referring to a hot spring in the same coun¬ 
tries. A country named Agniya is mentioned in the enumeration of the 
northern countries of India. Agnif de'oa, or the god of fire, residing at Agni - 
pur a, is reckoned among the divinities of Nepal. + 

(31) Sang kia Ian. —Buddhist temple ; see Chap. III. note 5. 


* Sun tsang fa sou, B. XXIII. p. 23. 

f Markandeya Parana, quoted by Ward, view of the Hist, of the Hindus, Vol. 
II. p. 11. 

$ Asiatic Researches , Vol. XVI. p. 466, note 37. 

P 



158 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA IIIAN. 


(32) Py chi Joe. —We have already seen thus named a class of saints who oc¬ 
cupy a high rank in the Buddhist hierarchy. The Sanscrit expression is Pra¬ 
tyeka Buddha; the Pali, Pacheka Buddha; the Mongolian Pradigahoud. 
M. Schmidt has not recognised this last form, but has satisfied himself with 
transcribing the word without tracing its origin. It is apparently from the Pali 
form ,pacheka, that the Chinese have transcribed the word Py chi ; but this 
presents a difficulty : the translators assert that the fan word entire, is Py 
chi kialo, which would give a form wholly unknown in Sanscrit, Pratyekara, 
and does not correspond with the analysis made by the Chinese of the 
Sanscrit word. However it be, when the authors of the Chinese trans¬ 
lations, instead of confining themselves to the transcription of the word, 
endeavour to give its meaning, they render it in three different ways, which 
lead to the supposition of some equivoque in the Sanscrit radical. They 
assert that Py chifoe signifies Yuan kio , ‘ complete intelligence ;’ Yuan kio, 

‘ intelligence produced by destiny’ (or the concatenation of causes) and Pou 
kio, ‘ isolated, or distinct intelligence.’ This triple translation must arise 
from some equivocal meaning in Sanscrit: the last is the only one which 
completely coincides with the well known sense of Pratyeka. 

However this be, the place occupied by the Pratyeka Buddhas in the 
hierarchy of saints is fixed with precision in Buddhist works. There are 
five fruits which set those who have gathered them on the way to the 
supreme Bodhi; and names are given to the various degrees of perfection 
indicated by these five fruits. The lowest of these is that of the Srotd- 
panna, who has still 80,000 kalpas to pass ere he be completely emanci¬ 
pated from the influence of error and passion. Above these, are in the 
ascending scale, the Sakriddgana, the Andgdmi, and the Arhun. Abov e 
these are the Pratyeka-Buddhas, who have gathered the fifth fruit. These 
have for ever renounced the errors of the three worlds, lusts, anger, hatred, 
and ignorance ; and when they shall have passed through 10,000 Kalpas, 
will obtain the first degree, above which is none other * Buddha himself 
has said ; “ A hundred wicked men are not worth one virtuous one ; a 
thousand virtuous men are not worth one observer of the five precepts ;+ ten 
thousand observers of the five precepts are not worth one Sakridagamt .■ ten 
million Sakridagamis, are not worth one Andgdmi ; one hundred millions of 
Anagamls are not worth one Arhan; a thousand millions of Arhans, are 
not worth one Pratyeka Buddha .” But he adds, “ Ten thousand millions 
of Pratyeka Buddhas are not equal to one of the Buddhas of the three 
tiroes, that is the past, the present, and the future ; and a hundred times ten 

* Booh of the great Nirvdnu, quoted in the San tsung fa sou, B. XXII. p. 3 v. 
t See X VI. n. 20. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


159 


thousand millions of Buddhas are not equal to the being freed from 
thought, locality, action, and manifestation.” 

The Yuan kio, by the contemplation of the twelve Yuan (Nidanas ) 
emancipates himself from ego and the other errors ; knows and compre¬ 
hends the true void (spiritual substance) and the nature of Nirvana. He is 
thus carried beyond the girdle of the three worlds; it is his Yana or me¬ 
dium of translation into nirvana ; and as the Yuan (the twelve degrees of 
individual destiny) have place in him, he is on this account named Yuan 
kio, —which appears to mean Nidana-Buddha. 

The Tou kio make their appearance in ages destitute of Buddhas. They 
are solitary and devoted to the contemplation of things and their vicissi¬ 
tudes ; and being without master, it is of their own understanding that they 
attain the comprehension of the veritable void ; hence their name Tou kio 
(‘ isolated intelligence’), apparently Pratyeka-Buddha. Men who have 
attained this rank can effect their own salvation only ; they are not per¬ 
mitted to experience those grand emotions of compassion which are of ser¬ 
vice to all living beings without exception, and which are peculiar to the 
Bodhisattwas. Such are the bounds to which the Tou kio are restricted, 
and by which they are disabled from becoming Buddhas (immediately).* 

The Tom kio and the Yuan kio are mentioned concurrently in the same 
passage,"j* which seems to prove that the Buddhists of China at least, have 
established some distinction betwixt the Nidana-Buddhas and the Pratye- 
ka-Buddhas, a distinction not altogether justified in the passage itself. 

There are two kinds of Tou kio ; those who form classes or herds; that 
is to say, who after the manner of deer, take up with their own kind, and 
look back to see if any follow them ; they are named in Sanscrit Vargga - 
chari. The others think of nought but their own salvation, indulging no 
thought about that of other men. They are compared to an animal with 
but one horn ( Khi lin in Chinese), and are named in consequence Khad- 
gavisanakalpa, ' Pratyekas resembling a unicorn.’£ 

The contemplation of the twelve Nidanas , which forms the occupation of 
the Yuan kio, is a subject much more difficult to clear up. It would be 
interesting to determine how the succession of these twelve causes and 
effects leads the spirit to lay hold upon the * veritable void,’ or spiritual 
substance ; but I can find on this subject but one passage, and that conceiv¬ 
ed in almost enigmatic terms. The Yuan kio sees that Avidya (ignorance) 
attains to Jaramaranam (old age and death) and that thus are produced the 

* San tsang fa sou, B. XX. p. 25. 

f Leng yan lung, 13. VI. quoted in San tsang fa son. 

j Sy hiuan hi, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, B. XhV 111. pass. 

p 2 


1G0 


riLGRIMAGE OF FA IIIAN. 


twelve Nidanas. He then sees that the extinction of Avidya conducts to 
the extinction of Jaramaranam, and he thus comprehends that there is nei¬ 
ther birth nor death, or he comprehends that which is not subject to birth 
or death, that is to say, spiritual nature.* The perfection to which the 
Yuan kio attain, their exemption from the vicissitudes of life and death, and 
their faculty of becoming men or gods, render them worthy of adoration, 
and they are therefore among the eight classes of beings in honor of whom 
towers are erected. These eight classes are the Buddhas, Bodhisattwas, 
Arlians, Anagamis, Sakridagamis, Srotapannas, and the Chakravarti kings. 
(M. Remusat seems to have omitted the Pratyeka Buddhas.—J. W. L.) 

From the foregoing explanations the word Ihiddha which enters into the 
term PratyeJca Buddha , cannot mislead us as to the true position of these 
personages, who are very far from being classed amongst ‘ absolute intelli¬ 
gences.' It was therefore a grievous error of M. Schmidt, when he said that 
“ Buddhist books make a great difference among the various Buddhas, not 
merely with reference to their sanctity, but to their activity in the salvation 
of living beings and then comprised in this class the Sravakas and the 
Pratyeka Buddhas.f This confusion is by no means cleared away by the 
distinctions which follow ; and others, we shall see, have yet to be established 
between the Buddhas and Pratyekas, separated in the hierarchy of saints by 
the Bodhisattwas, who are infinitely above the latter, though still far inferior 
to the former.—R. 

(33) The spot of the nihouan .—The place where the Pratyeka-Buddha, 
of whom he spoke, entered nirvana, that is to say died.—B. 

(34) Where he dried his clothes .— Compare Chap. VIII. note 7. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 


Town of Ki jao i.—River Hengr.—Forest of Ho li. 

Fa liian halted at the temple' of the dragon and remained there 
some time. Ilis sojourn ended, he turned towards the south¬ 
east ; and having travelled seven yeou yan, he came to the town 
of Kijao if This town touches the river Hengf There are two 
Seng /da lan entirely devoted to the study of the less trans¬ 
lation. 

* Fa houa king, B. II. Chapter ‘ on comparisons drawn from plants.’ 

t Ueber einige Grundlehren des Buddhuismus. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 


161 


To the west of this town, about six or seven li , and on the 
northern bank of the river Heng, is a place where Foe preached 
in behalf of his disciples. Tradition says that in this place he 
discoursed upon instability 4 and upon pain ; B upon the comparison 
of the body to a bubble of water , 6 and upon some other similar 
subjects. In this place they have erected a tower, which 
subsists still. 

Crossing the Heng, and proceeding southward three yeou yam 
you come to a forest named Ho li. Foe there preached the law. 
They have erected tours wherever he passed, or walked, or sat. 


NOTES. 

(1) The temple .—in Chinese, Tsing she , ‘ pure or holy house.' This 
name is given to the Seng kia lan, because those who restrain their thoughts, 
that is the Samaneans, dwell in them. There are five Tsing she more cele¬ 
brated than all others, of which mention will be made in the subseqent 
chapters, when the word itself will be further considered.—R. 

(2) Ki jao i. —This name, which the Chinese do not interpret, is identi¬ 
cal with that of Ku jo kei che in the narrative of Hiuan thsang.—R. 

It is the transcription of the Sanscrit name of the town of Kanouj, or 
rather Kanyakubja, which signifies the “ hunch-backed girl.’* 

This etymology refers to a legend according to which the hundred daughters 
of the king Kusanabha, who reigned there, were rendered hunch-backed 
because they would not submit to his lawless desires. Kanyakubja is the 
same town which Ptolemy* calls Kavotfa, and which in our times bears 
the name of Kanouj. It is situated on the right bank of the Ganges, in Lat. 
N. 27® 4' and Long. E. 79.5°. The name of this town is sometimes written 
Kanarji in the Sanscrit books of the middle ages. The Chinese Buddhist 
works translate Kanyakubja by Khiu niu chhing, or * the town of hunch¬ 
backed damsels In this town, say they, there was formerly the ‘ hermit 
of the great tree he cursed ninety-nine women, who became in the same 
instant hunch-backed; hence the name. Foe descended here from the 
heaven Tao li (Trayastrinsha), where he had preached the law, on which 
account a tower was erected in the place, the fifth among the great towers 
of Buddha.—Kl. 


* B. VII. eh. 2. 


162 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


(3) The river Heng.—We have seen, (Chap. VII. 2) that the Chinese name 
the Ganges Heng or Heng kid, and that the Sanscrit etymon of which these 
words are the transcript, signifies according to them ‘ come from the heavenly 
mansion,’ because this river flowed from an elevated place, that is, from the 
summit of the Snowy Mountains. We need not repeat here what has been said 
on the subject of the sources of the Ganges. There is a nymph who presides 
over this river and bears its name : she had no nose and yet distinguished smells 
very well. This peculiarity is quoted to prove that when any great organ 
of sense is wanting, the rest may supply its place. Thus Anarodha is 
mentioned, as having been deprived of his eyes, yet seeing none the less 
whatever exists in a triple chiliocosm as readily as you may distinguish a 
fruit placed in your hand ; also the Naga Pa nan tho (Vananda), who heard 
without the aid of ears ; Kiao fan pa the (Kavanpate), who ruminated like 
an ox and ceased not to discern flavours; of the genius of empty space 
(Sunyata) who, though without body, was sensible to external bodies ; and 
of Maha Kasyapa, who had no necessity for mens to understand all the laws 




of the universe.*—R. 

(4) Instability .—In the text the non-duration, the non-eternity ; in 
Sanscrit anidyam; one of the fundamental conditions of relative existence ; 
or in Buddhist parlance, one of the four realities acknowledged by Sakya 
Muni. This subject will be treated in the notes to Chapter XXII.—R. 

(5) Pain .—One of the four realities recognised by Sakya; in Sanscrit 


dukham. 

(6) A bubble of water .—Sakya affirmed that the human body, formed by 
the union of the five elements, possessed no more stability than a bubble. But 
this observation was made by him in his promenades around the town of 
Kapilavistu. He apparently resumes this subject, as well as the two preced¬ 
ing ones, in his sermons preached near the town of Kanouj.—R. 


* Leng yan king, cited in San tsang fa, sou, B, XXVIII. 



CHAPTER XIX. 


163 


CHAPTER XIX. 


Kingdom of Sa chi. 

Thence proceeding ten yeou yan towards the south-west, you 
come to the great kingdom of Sha chi. On issuing from the town 
of Sha chi by the southern gate, you find to the east of the road 
the place where Foe bit a branch of the nettle-tree, and planted 
it in the earth. This branch put forth and grew to the height of 
seven feet, and never after increased or diminished. The hereti¬ 
cal brahmans, excited by envy and jealousy, cut it, or tore it up, 
to cast it away; but it always sprang up again in the same place 
as before. 

There are also in this place four stations of Foe, where they 
erected towers which are extant to this day. 

NOTES. 


(1) Ten yeou yan ;—about fourteen leagues.—R. 

(2) The great kingdom of Sha chi. —According to the route of Fa hian, this 
kingdom must be placed on the Goomty, in the territory of Lucknow.—Kl. 

There is a difficulty in this part of Fa hian’s route which can be explained 
away only on the supposition of a misprint in the French edition or an error 
in the original Chinese. Ten yojanas to the south-west would be a retro¬ 
grade movement on the part of our pilgrim ; and would moreover be incom¬ 
patible with his subsequent course. Professor Wilson,* has suggested 
Cawnpore, lying south-east of Kanouj, as the probable position of Sha chi, 
and has traced our pilgrim’s route accordingly on his sketch-map. But, as 
we see in Chapter XX, the next journey of eight yojanas south from Sha 
chi brings our pilgrim to She wei (Srdvasti) in tbe kingdom of Kiu sa Jo 
(Kosala, Oude) ; and hence I make no doubt we should read north-east in 
the text, instead of south-west. Still the difficulties are by no means solv¬ 
ed by this explanation ; for if, as we shall see presently, She wei was some¬ 
where in the neighbourhood Fyzabad or Oude, we must suppose some error 
in the estimation of the distance passed by our traveller, or make the yojana 
of unusual length to suit the present occasion. Unfortunately the itinerary 

of Hiouan thsang throws no light upon the subject. J. W. L. 

* J, R . A. S, vol. V. p. 122. 



164 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


CHAPTER XX. 


Kingdom of Kiu sa lo. Town of She wei. Temple of Chi houan. Town of 
Tou wei. 

Thence proceeding south to the distance of eight yeou yan , l you 
arrive at the kingdom of Kiu sa lo ,* and the town of She wei. 
The population of this town is very inconsiderable; they only 
reckon about two hundred families (or houses.) It is there that 
the king Pho sse no 4 resided. They are there extremely attached 
to the Law; and within the enclosure of the temple, at the spot 
where was the wall of the old man Siu tha s 5 well; at the spot 
where the wicked genius Yng kiue 6 obtained the doctrine ; and at 
the spot of the pan ni houan,' where the body was burnt, men of 
after ages have built towers, which remain to this day. The here¬ 
tical brahmans 8 of the town, excited by feelings of jealousy, desired 
to destroy these ; but the heavens thundered and the lightning 
flashed, so that they could not approach to overturn them. 

On issuing from the town by the southern gate, at twelve 
hundred paces to the east of the road, you find the temple which 
the patriarch Siu tha caused to be erected. The gate of this 
temple faces the east. There are two pavilions 9 and two stone 
pillars. On the pillar to the left side is executed the figure of a 
wheel;'° on that to the right side is placed that of an ox. The 
reservoirs are filled with the purest water, and the groves are 
formed of bushy trees; the rarest flowers grow there in abun¬ 
dance and charm the sight by their lively hues. There, too, is 
the temple called Chi houan. 11 

Toe having ascended to the heaven Tao li , 12 remained there 
ninety days preaching the law in favour of his mother. The 
king Pho sse no experienced a vivid desire to behold Foe again. 
He accordingly caused the head of an ox to be carved of 
sandal wood, by way of representing an image of Foe, and 


CHAPTER XX. 


1 65 

placed it in the spot where Foe sat. When on his return Foe 
entered the temple, the statue rose and approached to meet him. 
Foe said, “ Return, and be seated ; after my pan ni houan thou 
shalt be the model for imitation by the four classes.” 13 The statue 
returned and sat down. It was the first of all the statues of 
Foe, and that which men of subsequent times have copied. 
Then Foe transported himself into a small temple constructed on 
the south side, different from that of the statue, and situated at 
twenty paces distance. 

The temple of Chi houan had originally seven stories. The 
kings and the people of various countries were full of veneration 
for this place and came hither to celebrate the festivals. Cano¬ 
pies and streamers were hung up, flowers were scattered, per¬ 
fumes burnt. Lanterns supplied the place of day, and even in 
daytime were never extinguished. A rat having taken into its 
mouth the wick of one of these lanterns, set fire to the flags and 
the drapery of the pavilions ; and the seven stories of the temple 
were utterly consumed. The kings and the people experienced 
profound sorrow at this event. They thought that the image of 
sandal wood had been burnt; but five or six days after, on open¬ 
ing the little eastern temple,' 4 they suddenly beheld the ancient 
image! They reconstructed the temple, and when they had 
completed the second story, they installed' 5 the statue in its for¬ 
mer place. 

On arriving at the temple of Chi houan, Fa hian and Tao 
cliing reflected that in this place the Honorable of the Age had 
passed twenty-five years 16 in austerities ! By their side was a mul¬ 
titude of people animated with the same thoughts, who had tra¬ 
versed many regions, some to return to their own country, others 
to experience the instability of life. 1 ’ That day on seeing the 
place where Foe no longer was,' 8 their hearts experienced a live¬ 
ly emotion. Other ecclesiastics addressing Fa hian and Tao 
ching, “ From what country come you ?” they asked. “ We 
have come from the land of Han ” replied the former. The eccle¬ 
siastics then replied, and sighing, observed, " How marvellous! 


1GG 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA 111A N. 


that men from the extremity of the world are enabled to come 
in search of the law even to this place !” Then they spoke 
amongst themselves, “ We other masters and Ho shang” li 
said they, <c since we succeeded each other, have never before 
seen the priests of Ilan 20 come hither.” 

To the north-west of the temple, distant four li, there is a thicket 
called the Wood of the Recovered Eyes. In former times there 
were five hundred blind persons, who, coming to the temple, so¬ 
journed in this place. Foe preached the law in their behalf, and 
they all recovered their sight. These blind men, transported 
with joy, planted their staves in the ground and performed an 
act of devotion, turning their faces aside. Their staves took root 
and grew. The people of that age out of respect, dared not cut 
them, and they formed this grove, called for this reason the 
Wood of the Recovered Eyes. The clergy of the temple of Chi 
houan frequently repair after meals to sit in this grove and 
abandon themselves to meditation. 

To the north-east of the temple of Chi houan, at the distance 
of six or seven li, the mother of Pi she hhiu 21 caused a temple to 
be built, and invited Foe and the ascetics thither. This place is 
in strict dependence upon the temple of Chi houan. The town 
has two gates, one facing the east, the other the north. There is 
the garden that the patriarch Siu tlia caused to be made after 
having paid money to buy it. 22 The temple is situated in the . 
midst, on the very spot where Foe stayed, and for a long time 
preached the Law for the salvation of man. At the places where 
he passed, or where he sat, every where they have erected 
towel’s, and all these places have appropriate names; such as that 
where Sun to li accused Foe of murder. 23 

On coming out of the temple of Chi houan by the eastern 
portal, and proceeding northerly, at the distance of seventy paces 
to the west of the road you come to the place where Foe for¬ 
merly disputed with the adherents of ninety-six heretical sects. 84 
The kings of the country, the grandees, the magistrates, and the 
people, were all heaped up like clouds, and listening intently. At 


CHAPTER XX. 


167 


this moment a heretical girl named Chen che mo na, urged by a 
feeling of jealousy, gathered up her garments in suchwise over her 
belly as to make her appear pregnant, and in the presence of the 
whole assembly, she reproached Foe with having infringed the 
Law. 25 Then the king of the gods, Shy, having transformed 
himself into a white rat, came and gnawed the cincture she had 
around her loins; so that the garments fell to the earth; the 
earth opened, and this woman fell living into hell! Thiao tha , 29 
who with his venemous nails sought to tear Foe, fell likewise 
living into hell! These places were known and marked by men 
of subsequent times. In the place where the dispute (with the 
heretics) took place, they have raised a temple. This temple is 
about six toises 2 ’ high ; within it is a statue of Foe seated. 

To the east of the road is a chapel 28 of the gods appertaining to 
the heretics, and named Covered by the Shadow . It is in front of 
the chapel built upon the site of the dispute, and the two chapels 
are thus opposite to each other on either side of the road. This 
last is also about six toises high. Here is the reason why it is 
called Covered by the Shadow : When the sun is in the west the 
temple of the Honorable of the Aye %9 covers wdth its shadow the 
temple of the gods belonging to the heretics ; but when the sun is 
in the east, the shadow of the latter temple deflects to the north 
and never falls on the temple of Foe. The heretics had a custom 
of sending people to watch the chapel of their gods, to sweep it, 
water it, burn perfumes, and light the lanterns for the performance 
of their worship ; but the next morning all the lanterns were found 
transported to the temple of Foe. The brahmans, 30 full of resent¬ 
ment said, “ The&Afl men take our lanterns to use them in the wor¬ 
ship they perform to Foe ; why do we not resist them V s The 
brahmans then set themselves to watch by night; but they saw the 
gods and the genii whom they worshipped themselves carry away 
the lanterns, thrice encircle the temple, worship Foe, and 
suddenly disappear. The brahmans thus learnt to appreciate 
the greatness of Foe, and abandoning their families, entered upon 
religion. 


168 


riLGRIMAGE OF FA HI AN. 


Tradition relates that at a time not remote from this event, 
there were around the temple of Chi houan ninety-eight Seng 
hia lan, all provided with apartments for the ecclesiastics, and 
which were empty in but one place. In the Kingdom of the 
Middle 31 there are ninety-six kinds of sectaries who all recog¬ 
nise the present world, 32 every sect has its disciples, who are 
numerous; they beg their subsistence, but they carry no beg¬ 
gar’s pot. 33 They seek happiness, moreover, in waste places, 
and in the highways, and establish in those situations houses 
for the supply of travellers with shelter, beds, and wherewithal 
to eat and drink. Men who have embraced religious life lodge 
there equally going and coming : but the time during which they 
are thus harboured is not the same (as in the monasteries). Thiao 
tha has also sectaries who still subsist; these honor the three Foes 
of the past time ;‘ 4 Shy kia wen foe" alone they honor not. 

To the south-west of the town of She we'i, at the distance of 
four li, the king Lieou li 36 endeavoured to attack the kingdom of 
She i" The Honorable of the Age placed himself on the road, 
and at the place where he stood they have erected a tower. 

At fifty li west of the town you come to a little town named 
Touwei ; 8S it is the birth-place of the Foe Kia she.* 9 At the place 
where the father and son held an interview, 40 as also at the place 
of the pan ni houan, 41 towers have been erected. In like 
manner they have raised a great tower for the She li* 2 of the 
entire body of the Joulai 43 Kia she. 

NOTES. 

(1) Eight ycou yons— about 11 leagues and a fifth.—R. 

(2) Kiu sa lo. —This kingdom, called by the same name by Iliuan thsang. 
is easily recognised as Kosala, or Oude, one of the most celebrated coun¬ 
tries in primitive Buddhism. It is both important and easy to determine its 
position, which will enable us to fix preceding stations, and establish a solid 
basis for the subsequent march of our pilgrims through a country which it 
is extremely interesting to recognise. The map of India found in the great 
Japanese Encyclopedia * and reproduced in French by M. Klaproth (see 

* JB. LXIV. p. 13. 


CHAPTER XX. 


169 


plate) gives separately the two names Kiao so lo and She wei, making 
them thus two distinct kingdoms, betwixt which is placed Kiapi lo. Now, 
Fa hian re-unites Kiu sa lo and She wei into one kingdom, making She wei 
the capital of Kiu sa lo. As he had travelled through the country his testimo¬ 
ny is entitled to higher credit than that of the unknown geographer who 
compiled the materials for the map just mentioned. Kiu sa lo is the Kosala 
of Sanscrit books, the celebrated kingdom of Rama, whose capital was 
Ayodhya. The position of this country is therefore one of those best ascer¬ 
tained in the itinerary of Shy fa hian, since it results from au incontestible 
synonyme and coincides with both the foregoing and the subsequent march 
of the traveller, that is to say from Mathura and Kanouj to Patna. We 
might suppose that the name K6sala extended to other countries of India 
seeing that in the Chinese map Kiao sa lo is placed to the west of Benares, 
south of Kusambi and Mathura, and stated to be a kingdom six thousand 
li in circumference. Further still, a country named Kiu tse lo, —(appa¬ 
rently a transcription of the same Sanscrit word Kdsala) may be seen to the 
north-west of Ou cheyan na (Ujjain). It is this country that Hiuan thsang 
places in western India, and the capital of which he names Pi lo ma lo. It 
must be Guzerat. 

Ma touan lin quotes a history of Kiu sse lo,—Kiu sse lo chouan , com¬ 
posed anonymously; but he gives no details on the subject. 

A difficulty attending this identity of Kosala and She wei (admitted by Fa 
hian and rejected by Hiuan thsang) will be discussed in the next note.—R. 

(3) She wei. —The name of this town is translated by Fung te, * abun¬ 
dant or flourishing virtue,’ and also by Wen we, * celebrated productions 
because this town excels all others on the reputation of its production. 
Iliuan thsang assures us that the name of this town is corrupted, and that it 
should be pronounced Shy lo fa sy ti (Sravasti). 

The town of She wei was commended for four properties worthy of re¬ 
mark. It contained all kinds of riches and precious things, so that no other 
kingdom could compare with it. The five kinds of desires (corresponding 
to the five senses) were there more vivid than elsewhere. No other coun¬ 
try presented such abundance. Nowhere were the people in a better condi¬ 
tion to study the doctrine and obtain final deliverance.* 

But what is remarkable, Hiuan thsang describes Kosala and Sravasti 
separately, while Fa hian makes the latter the capital city of the former. 
Hiuan thsang after leaving Pi so kia reached Sravasti, and passed thence to 
Kapilavastu. It was later, after having traversed Kalinga, that he came 
to Kdsala, whence he reached the country of Andhra, which corresponds 
* Fan y ming i, B. III. Art. kingdom. 

a 


170 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HTAN. 


•with modern Telinga. It is thus easy to see that the name Kosala was applied 
in the time of Hiuan thsang to a part of India which Fa hian never visited 
and of which he does not speak. The details too given in the Si iu chi, 
regarding this country, have no correspondence whatever with those given 
by the author of the Foe koue ki. Tliey refer exclusively to the preaching 
of the thirteenth patriarch Naga Koshuna, principally in the southern coun¬ 
tries of India, eight hundred years after Sakya. On the other hand, the 
scenes in the life of Sakya which Fa hian places in Kosala and She we'i, (for 
with him these names are synonymous,) are those of which Hiuan thsang 
indicates Shy lo fa sy ti as the site. The latter country is therefore the 
Kdsala of the Foe koue ki. But it is allowable to suppose that the memory 
of the powerful empire the foundation of which the Brahmanical writers 
ascribe to Rama, was perpetuated in other regions of India, and especially in 
that of which the name K6sala is preserved in the Si iu chi. —R. 

(4) Pho sse no. —This name is uniformly given in Buddhist works to the 
prince of Kdsala who was contemporary with Sakya. It is translated ‘ vic¬ 
torious or triumphant army.’ Hiuan thsang declares it to be corrupted, 
and restores it to Po lo si na chi to, translating it in the same manner. The 
Sanscrit form is Prasenajit. This prince shortly after ascending the throne, 
sought in marriage from the king of Kapila, a princess of the race of Shy 
choung , or Shaky a suta. A female slave of M a ha nan having given birth 
to a daughter of exquisite beauty, the latter was sent to the king Prasenajit, 
who had by her a son named Lieou li, of whom we shall speak by and bye. 
Ma ha nan was the son of king Houfan, and cousin of Sakya. 

Sanang Setsen names the prince who in the time of Buddha reigned over 
Kosala in the town of Vaisali, Saltchan in Mongol, and says that he was 
the son of the king Arighona (Ekuktchi. I suspect there is some error in 
this recital, at least as regards the town of Vaisali, which could not at that 
time have been included in the kingdom of K6sala. The translator of Sanang 
offers no elucidation of any part of the text of his author which refers to 
the history of ancient India, but confines himself to transcribing without 
explaining the names of Indian princes translated into Mongol.—R. 

(5) Siu tha. —This name is also corrupted according to Hiuan thsang, 
who restores its orthography, Sou tha to, and translates it by * well 
giving it must be the Sanscrit Sudata. The title of Chang che given him, 
designates indifferently superiority of age or of rank : he is therefore the 
aged, the patriarch, the chief, the great. Thus Sudata was in reality one of 
the grandees or ministers of Prasenajit. Pious and enlighted, knowing both 
how to amass wealth and how to expend it; generous towards and help¬ 
ful to the needy, to orphans, and lonely men, he deservedly obtained the fair 


CHAPTER XX. 


171 


surname of Ky kou tou (largitor erga orphanos et derelictos). It was 
he who erected to Buddha the temple of Chi houan , of which mention will 
be made lower down, and which obtained for that spot the name of Ky 
kou tou youan , 1 the garden of the benefactor of orphans.’ Hiuan thsang 
saw the ruins of this minister’s palace in the 7th century.—R. 

(6) The wicked genius Yng kiue, —elsewhere named Yng kiu ma lo, a word 
signifying, ‘ he who exhibits dresses, or ornaments.’ Another malignant 
being who was the scourge of the kingdom and town of Shy lo fa sy ti 
(Sravasti) is indicated by the same name. He killed people and carried off 
their caps and heads to bedeck himself with. Hiuan thsang repeats a legend 
respecting this malignant spirit, found in the Si iu chi, chapter on Shy lo 
fa sy ti. —R. 

(7) Pan ni houan: —the death of eminent personages in Buddhism.—R. 

(8) Or it may be translated “ the western pavilion with two stone pil¬ 
lars.”—R. 

(9) Brahmanical heretics :—those attached to the Brahmanical worship 
and the doctrines of the Vedas.—R. 

(10) A wheel. —The wheel is a familiar emblem of the Buddhists, expressive 
of the successive passage of the soul in the circle of various forms of exist¬ 
ence ; the power of the Chakravartti kings over the whole habitable earth ; 
and the preaching of the Buddhas, as well as the good effects of the prayers 
and invocations repeated with the help of a chaplet. In the absence of 
explanation we cannot determine the meaning of the wheel placed on the 
summit of a pillar, as at the temple of J£ta.—R. 

(11) The temple of Chi houan. —This is one of the most celebrated edi¬ 
fices of Buddhism ; its name is changed by Fa hian, but other Samanean 
writers spell it Chi tho, and explain it to mean * victory.’ Hiuan thsang, 
who affects great accuracy in the transcription of names, declares that Chi 
tho is also corrupt, and writes the word Chi to, or Shi to. He confirms 
also the interpretation of his predecessors, so that we may infer with cer¬ 
tainty that this temple was called in Sanscrit ^rfT, Jeta, that is, to * the 
temple of the victorious, or the triumphant.’ The Chinese further add to 
this name the word lin , a forest ; which is the exact equivalent of the San¬ 
scrit Jetavana, 5jrTT^ , lT, 80 frequently occurring in Singalese books. It 
appears that this name of * victorious’ was that of the heir apparent to the 
kingdom, to whom belonged the garden in which the temple was erected ; 
and as Sudata defrayed the cost of its erection, the edifice and the surround¬ 
ing ground were called indifferently the * temple of Jeta/ and the 1 garden 
of the benefactor of orphans.’* 

ft 2 


* See note 5. 


172 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


The temple of Jeta is one of the eight named Ling tha, * divine towers/ 
or ‘ towers of the spirits/ The seven others were that in the garden of Loung 
mi ni , or Lan pi ni, in the town of Kapila ; that which was built upon the 
banks of the Ni lian in Magadha; that of the deer-park near Benares ; that 
of Kanouj ; that of Raja Griha; that of the ‘ Beautiful town ;> and lastly 
that of the town of Kushina. There is a book bearing the title of Pa ta 
lig tha ming hao king, or 1 the sacred book of the names and titles of the 
eight great divine towers.’ According to this book, if any one by great faith 
and the impulsion of a well directed heart, build a tower or a temple and 
there establish the ceremonies and worship, he will obtain rebirth among 
the gods. There are upon this earth and in the heavens a great number of 
towers that have been erected for the Sarira of Buddha. But the eight 
towers here spoken of were erected on the sites where the Tathagata * de¬ 
scended in birth, 1 and where he accomplished many important acts of his 
terrestrial career. 

We shall see in the sequel of Fa hian’s narrative, how much importance 
he attached to a visit to the temple of Jeta, one of the most celebrated of 
those existing at that time. Many passages in the sacred books are sup¬ 
posed to have been revealed by Buddha while he was in the town of Sravasti 
(She wei) and in the temple of Jeta.—R. 

Sravasti, as we learn from the analysis of the several portions Kah-gynr , 
by the late Csoma de Koros, was one of the principal scenes of Sakyas 
ministration; and a fuller examination of that voluminous work would 
doubtless supply all the particulars so briefly hinted at in the present chap¬ 
ter by Fa hian. The circumstance of the erection of a large religious 
establishment in a grove called the Princes Grove (Jeta vanam ) by a rich 
householder of Sravasti ( Mnyan yod , Tib.) is mentioned in the Lalita 
tisiara. Thither the founder invited Sakya, who with his disciples passed 
twenty-three years and propounded the greater part of the Sutras in that 
place. See de Koros’s various notices of the Kah-gyur in the twentieth 
Vol. of the Asiatic researches. —J. W. L. 

(12) The heaven of Tao li; i. e. Trayastrinsha.* 

(13) The four classes. —In the text Sse pou, elsewhere called Sse wei , 
the four herds, that is to say, 1st, The Pi khieou (Bhikshu), those mendi. 
cants or monks who profess to obtain their sustenance by alms. They beg 
above , to sustain their intellectual life, and below, to support their visible 
body. 2d, The Bhikshuni or female mendicants. 3d, The Yeou pho so 
(Upasika). This word signifies pure , and signifies that those who bear it 


* Chap. XVII. note 2. 


CHAPTER XX. 


173 


remain in their homes, that is lead a lay life, observe the five precepts and 
maintain a pure character. The name is also explained to mean ‘ men who 
approximate duty,’ to express that in accomplishing the precepts they 
prepare themselves to receive the law of the Buddhas. 4th. Yeou pho i 
(Upayi) pure lay women.*—R. 

(14) The little eastern temple. —I adopt here the reading of the Plan i 
tian, that of the Foe koue ki being faulty in this place.—R. 

(15) Installed the statue. —A lacuna in the text is here supplied from 
the Pian i tian. —R. 

(16) Twenty -five years. —This period of twenty-five years of proofs 
is indicated nowhere but in this place. Sakya passed five years in the 
deserts before attaining absolute perfection. He became Buddha, in his 
thirtieth year, and lived afterwards forty-nine occupied in preaching his 
doetrine. Probably some period of penance in an anterior existence when 
Bodhisattwa is here referred to.—R. 

We learn from a preceding note that according to the Lalita vistara 
Sakya dwelt twenty-three years at Sravasti. It may be to this residence 
that Fa hian alludes, with a slight error regarding its duration.—J. W. L. 

(17) The instability of life. — In Sanscrit anityam. It is one of the 
conditions of relative existence that it cannot last, but is subject to change. 
This expression is somewhat pompous to be employed on so simple a re¬ 
flexion. Perhaps it is borrowed from some passage in the sacred books.—R. 

(18) Where Foe no longer was ;—a phrase of much energy in the text, 
and literally, * Seeing the place void of Foe.’ —R. 

(19) Ho shang. —This expression, much used in China, has never been 
properly explained. The ordinary dictionaries render it ‘ priest of Foe , 
bonze.’ It is foreign to the Chinese language and belongs to that of Khoten, 
in which it represents the Sanscrit word Upasika (Yeou pho se, Yeou pho 
shy kia, Ou pho so kia). The Chinese intrepret it as fortes , robore nati , in 
vi viventes ; also as purissimi doctores , and oficio proximi ; which is further 
explained by saying that these are men who by their purity approach the 
state necessary for the reception of the doctrine of Foe. It is elsewhere 
rendered by magistri doctrina donati , or magislri doctrines proximi. 
Upasika means simply * faithful’ in a religious sense, and is the general 
name of the Buddhists of Ceylon and Pegu. But this word more particu¬ 
larly designates the laics, as we have seen above, note 13. To what has 
been said about the four Buddhist classes I will add tha t seven are also distin¬ 
guished, called the * Seven multitudes’ (Thsy choung ). Of these seven, five 
are considered to belong to the monastic order, or, as it is expressed in Bud¬ 
dhist works, to have left their hornes f and two are described as remaining 

* Fan y ming i, B. VII. Art. 4 of disciples.’ 

Q 3 


1/4 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HI AN. 


at home, that is to say, leading a lay life. The following is what I have 
found touching this classification : 

1st. The Pi kheou, or mendicants ; also named Pi tsou from an allusion to 
a Himalayan plant which in five respects resembles religious mendicants : it 
is soft and flexible, marking thus the simplicity of their exterior, and of their 
language indicating submission and humility; it is creeping, and extends on 
all sides, emblematic of their unceasing labours for the salvation of man; 
its perfume diffuses itself far, just as the odour of the doctrine is spread 
abroad by the example of these men ; it has curative properties, typifying 
the power of mendicants to subdue vice and passion ; it turns not aside 
from the sun’s rays, thus imaging their conduct in keeping their eyes ever 
fixed upon the sun of Buddha. 

2d. The Pi kheou ni, or Pi tsou ni, female mendicants. These, accord¬ 
ing to the Ta chi tun, have a vast number of duties to perform, for which 
they possess less aptitude than the Pi khheou, and hence are placed next 
after them. 

3d. The Sha mi, or Shy li mo li to kia , whose name expresses their 
abstinence from the affections which sully the age, and that they love and 
succour all living creatures. As they are but beginning to enter upon the law of 
Foe, they still possess many affections of which it is necessary that they 
should divest themselves to the end that they abstain from evil and do that 
which is right. 

4th. The Sha mi ni or Shy li mo li kia, ‘ a diligent and painstaking 
woman ;’ to indicate the subtile attention and efforts of women exercising 
the law of Foe. 

5th. The Shy cha ma na, or women studying the law. The Hing sse 
chhao says, “ The Shy cha ni have three studies to pursue : 1st. The prin¬ 
ciples, or bases (of the law), that is the prohibitions to kill, to steal, to com- 
mit impurities, and to lie. 2d. The six laws, which forbid polluting the 
thought, the body, the touch ; stealing the smallest sum (quatre deniers) 
from any one, taking the life of living creatures, committing petty deceptions, 
eating at forbidden hours, and drinking wine. 3d; They study the practice 
and thus come to understand the principles which great Ni (female ascetics) 
ought to observe. 

6th. The Yeoupho se, formerly Ou pho so kia (Upasika) see above. 

7th. The Yeou pho i, or ‘very pure women.’ 

It will be seen from all these passages that far from designating the bonzes 
or priests of Foe, the word Ho shang in the language of Khoten, and its 
equivalent Upasika, is properly applied to lay Buddhists, who observe the 
precepts of religion and lead a regular and blameless life. This title exactly 


CHAPTER XX. 


175 


corresponds with that of Vajra A f chary a found by Mr. Hodgson in the 
Buddhist books of Nepal.—R. 

(20) Priests of Han, —that is Chinese ascetics.—R. 

(21) The mother of Pi she khiu. —Hiuan thsang very briefly alludes to 
the invitation addressed to Buddha by the mother of Pi she khiu, but adds 
no particulars.—R. 

(23) Of warder.—This accusation belongs to what Buddhists call the 
nine tribulations of Foe. “ Foe narrated that formerly in the town of Pho 
to nai (Benares) there were a comedian named Thsing yan, and an aban¬ 
doned woman named Lou siang. Thsing yan invited this woman to go out 
of the town with him in a car. Arrived at a garden planted with trees, they 
were diverting themselves together, while a Py chi foe was in the same place 
performing acts of piety and studying the doctrine.. Thsing yan awaited till 
the Py chi foe had proceeded to the town to beg his meal, when he killed 
Lou siang and buried her in the tent of the Py chi foe. Pie accused the Py 
cTii foe. When the latter was brought to the place of punishment, Thsing 
yan beholding him, was touched with remorse and said, ‘ For what I have 
done, I should be punished.’ He confessed his crime and was put to death 
by the king. This Thsing yan , said Foe, was myself, and Lou siang was 
Sun to li. In consequence of this crime I have undergone infinite suffer¬ 
ing during an infinite number of thousands of years, and even now that I 
am become Buddha, there remain sufferings for me in consequence of the 
unjust accusation borne against me by Sun to li.”* —Kl. 

(24) Ninty-six heretical sects. —The San tsang fa sou reckons but ninetv- 
fivef and reduces them yet further to eleven principle ones. (See Chapter 
XVII. note 20.) 

(25) Having infringed the law.— Hiuan thsang repeats this adventure 
with slight variations of detail. The brahman damsel who accused Foe of 
having sinned with her was named Chin chha, Chin sha, or Chen she* Foe 
afterwards explained to his disciples how he became exposed to this calumny. 
“ In very ancient times,” said he, “ there was a Buddha named Tsin siting 
Jou la'i, (the very victorious Tathagata). In the religious assembly gathered 
around him, there were two Bhikshus, one named Wou shing (‘ without 
victory’) and the other Chhang houan (‘ ever joyous’). There was at that 
time in the city of Benares a grandee named Ta ai, (‘ great love’) whose 
wife was named Shen houan (* fair deceiver’). The two mendicants frequent¬ 
ed this house where they received abundant alms. Wou shing, who had 
burst the bonds of the world, never relaxed in the religious duties of his 
condition ; but Chhang houan on the other hand, still detained in error and 

* San tsang fa sou, B. XXXIII. p. 22. t B. XL1II. p. 24. 


176 


FILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


(wordly) deeds, could not resist giving way to negligence in his religious 
exercises. Thence arose within him a feeling of envy which induced him to 
spread a false report that the intercourse between Wou shiny and Shen 
houan was dictated by more tender considerations than those of the law and 
of religion. Now, continued Foe, the Chany houan of that time was no 
other than myself; and this Shen houan , of whom I speak, was identical 
with Chin chha. The calumny which I spread abroad regarding Wou shing 
justly subjected me to various kinds of punishment; and even now that I 
am arrived at Buddhahood, there yet remains for me this suffering to en¬ 
dure. At the moment when I was preaching the law in behalf of heretics, 
in the presence of mendicants, and kings, and subjects, a damsel came sud¬ 
denly before me, having a pot suspended before her belly, and interrupted 
me with these opprobrious terms : “ Samanean,” said she, “ why do you not 
look to the business of your own house, rather than discourse thus on that of 
other people ? thou thinkest of thine own case alone, and troublest not thy¬ 
self about my sorrows : thou that wert with me in time agone, and mailest 
me pregnant. I must a month hence have butter for my child ; see to pro¬ 
curing it!” At these words all the assembly hung their heads and remained 
silent. But Shy thi houan ni (Indra) having transformed himself into a 
rat, passed under the garments of the damsel, and gnawing the string 
which suspended the pot, caused it to fall to the ground to the great satis¬ 
faction of the assembly.”* 

Hiuan thsang beheld the pit through which this calumniatrix fell living 
into hell.f This is another example of the eight tribulations to which Shkya 
Muni, even after attaining the rank of Buddha, was subjected in expiation 
of the sins committed in former existences, and for which notwithstanding 
punishments prolonged during myriads of ages, he was still subject to a 
remnant of penance. Sakya Muni expounded these tribulations to his fol¬ 
lowed with the view of animating them in the practice of good deeds, since 
even a Tathagata, after having accomplished the doctrine, extinguished all 
the ills to which the condition of man is subject, and acquired ten thousand 
kinds of happiness,—could not divest himself of certain sins committed in 
Toregoing Kalpas.—R. 

(26) Thio tha, or, according to more regular orthography, Thi pho tha 
tou, or Thi pho tha tho , [(Devadatta), a Sanscrit word the explanation of 
which is given, in two ways; ‘ celestial warmth, or the gift of the gods.' 
This last interpretation, given by Hiuan thsang, is the only true one. The 
same author makes this personage the son of the king Houfan (Amitodana.) 

* T« chi tou lin, B. IX. and Hing khi lung king, quoted in San Hang fa sou, 
B. XXXI11. p. 25. 

f Plan i tian, B. LXXV. 


CHAPTER XX. 


177 


Other writers, who do not appear well informed, make him to be the son 
of the king Pe fan (Dhotodana). In either case Devadatta was the cousin 
german of Sakya Muni. On all hands it is agreed that he was the most 
inveterate enemy of the founder of this religion. Several notices of his 
implacable hatred may be found in these relations. Hiuan thsang narrates 
in detail the adventure here spoken of, and in which Devadatta having rub¬ 
bed his nails with a poisonous substance came from afar with the intention 
of causing the death of Buddha, while feigning to pay him homage.—R. 

(27) Six toises. —About 60 feet. 

(28) A chapel of the gods. —It is not easy to find appropriate equivalents 
for the terms employed by the Chinese, to designate the buildings conse¬ 
crated to their worship according to their scope, importance, and destina¬ 
tion. The temple of Jeta, of which so magnificent an account has been 
given, is named Tsing she. According to the Shg kia pouf a Tsing she 
is a spot where those who had mastered their thoughts (the Buddhas) 
halted. The word signifies the 1 abode of subtlety-’ Five principle edifi¬ 
ces of this denomination are reckoned : 1st. The temple of the benefactor 
of orphans, built by Sudata, on the site of the garden of the prince of Jeta, 
and otherwise named the Temple of Jeta. 2d. The temple of the Vulture 
Mountain ; of which more will be spoken hereafter. 3d. The temple of the 
river of Apes , which will also be again noticed in subsequent chapters. 
4th. The temple of the tree An lo, offered to Buddha by a woman of that 
name. 5th. The Temple of the Bambu garden in the mountain Khi che 
Tchiu , otherwise named the garden of Kia lan tho. Fa hian gives the same 
name to many other less celebrated temples constructed in places where 
Buddha had sojourned. 

But the word which our author here makes use of to designate a Brahma- 
nical temple is Sse, to which he unites the word thian ,— thian sse, 1 temple 
of the gods,' to designate the devas, objects of Brahmanical worship, but 
reduced in the Samanean system to a very subordinate position—in Sanscrit 
Devalaya. Hiuan thsang always employs the word in the same sense.—R. 

(29) The Honorable of the Age. —Sans. Lokajyesta. —R. 

(30) The Brahmans.— There is frequent mention of the brahmans in the 
legendary accounts of the earlier times of Buddhism. A very ancient work, 
the Ma teng kia king , speaks of the four castes in the following terms : 
“ They falsely suppose that we (the family of Buddha) are born of Brahma, 
and give us on this account the surname of * children of Brahma.’ The 
brahmans pretend that they were born from the mouth of Brahma ; the Sha 
ti li, (Kshatryas) from his navel; the Pi she , (Vaisyas) from his arms ; and 

* * Genealogy of S&kya,’ quoted in the San tsangfa sou, B. XXXVI. p. 5. v. 


178 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


the Sheou tho, (Sudras) from his feet. On this account they look upon 
themselves as first in rank, but are truly not so. The word Pho lo men 
(Brahmana) signifies ‘ one that walketh in purity.' Some are laics, others 
embrace religious life ; and succeed each other from generation to generation, 
making their business the study of the doctrine. They call themselves the 
offshoots of Brahma; their name comes from their keeping the doctrine, 
and preserving purity. The name, Sha ti li signifies Lords of the fields ; 
they are in truth the possessors of the great countries of the world, and are 
of regal race. The Pi she , or Tei she, are the merchants; and the Sheou 
ho, or Shou tho lo, are the labourers.” 

We see from the history of the Buddhist patriarchs, that the distinction 
of castes in no way interfered with the selection of the chiefs of religion. 
Sakya Muni was a Kshatrya ; Maha Kasyapa, his successor, was a brahman ; 
Shang na ho sieou, the third patriarch, who was invested with this dignity 
only eighty years after the nirvana of Buddha, was a Vaisya ; and his suc¬ 
cessor, Yeou pho khieou to, who succeeded forty-four years later, was a 
Sudra.* Thus in conformity with the doctrines of Buddhism, moral merit 
alone was kept in view in selecting those to whom the transmission of the 
doctrine was committed, without any reference to the distinction of caste. 

The word brahman is not used in decidedly ill part in Buddhist works 
unless conjoined with the epithet Wai tao, heretic, heterodox ; but accusa¬ 
tions of jealously and ill-will against this caste are very common, and such 
will be found occasionally in the sequel of Shy fa hian’s narrative.—R. 

(31) The Kingdom of the Middle. —Central India, or Madhya desa, com¬ 
prising the countries of Mathura, K6sala, Kapila, Magadha, &c.—R. 

(32) The present world. —This phrase appears to signify that the heretics 
restrict themselves to speaking of the duties of men in the present life 
without connecting it, by the doctrine of metempsychosis, with anterior peri¬ 
ods of existence which must have been passed through.—R. 

(33) No legging pot. —This is an essential distinction of Buddhist men¬ 
dicants, with whom the begging pot is an indispensible attribute. (See 
chap. XII—note 8.)—R. 

(34) The three Foes of the past time. —The first three Buddhas of the 
present age, called the ‘ Kalpa of the wisenamely, Keou leou sun (Kra- 
kuchchanda), Keou na han mou ni (Kanaka Muni) and Kia she (Kasyapa). 
These will be spoken of in detail hereafter. The times of their respective 
appearance may be seen in the table I have given, Journal des Savans for 
1831, p. 723.—R. 

* See the great Encyclopedia San thsai thou hoei, edited by Dr. Wang hhi. 
Section on the affairs of men, B. IX. p. 4, v. 


CHAPTER XX. 


179 

(35) Shy kia wen : Sakya Muni.—It is curious to note this indication of 
a sect among the Buddhists who acknowledged the Buddhas of anterior ages, 
but rejected the Buddha of the present, the sole real type after whom, ac¬ 
cording to general belief, these imaginary personages were created by an 
afterthought, and referred to mythological times. It would be extremely 
interesting to learn what were the religious opinions of De'vadatta, the cousin, 
rival, and persecutor of Sakya. This passage is of importance as it seems to 
favour the opinion that the dogma of the plurality of Buddhas, and of their 
successive manifestations, was concurrent with the foundation of Buddhism 
itself.—R. 

(36) The king Leou li .—This is the transcription of a Sanscrit word which 
signifies a transparent stone of a blue colour, and is extended to mean glass. 
Hiuan thsang names this prince Py Ion tse kia , and mentions another cor¬ 
rupt orthograply, Py lieou li. When Prasenajit ascended the throne of 
K6sala, he asked in marriage a princess of the country of Kapila and of the 
race of Sakya (Shy choung, Sakyoe semen.) One of the slaves of Maha- 
nanda, son of Amitodana, and cousin of Sakya Muni, had a daughter of perfect 
beauty. She was offered to Prasenajit, who married her, and had by her a 
son, the prince Lieou li. At the age of 18 this prince proceeded with the 
Brahmachari Hao khou to the house of Mahananda. There had been 
erected in the kingdom of Kapila a hall of conference to which the Tathagatha 
was invited to receive the homage of his sectaries. The prince Lieou li 
having entered his hall, ascended the Lion-throne (Singhasana). On be¬ 
holding this the children of Sakya were transported with rage. “ This son 
of a slave,” they exclaimed, “ dares to enter and be seated here !” He then 
went out and said to the brahmachari Hao khou : “ The children of Sakya 
have mortally affronted me: remind me of this insult when I ascend the 
throne!” And so when afterwards the prince Lieou li became king, Hao 
khou reminded him of this matter. Lieou li collected together his troops 
and proceeded to attack the children of Sakya. Sakya Muni took part in 
this event which threatened the tribe from which he sprung. I here tran¬ 
scribe the explanation of it to his disciples ; it is a further example of those 
destinies to which men are subject in expiation of sins committed in anterior 
existences, and from which Buddha himself was not exempt, as we have 
already seen. The following are the words used by Sakya in explaining to the 
Bhikshus the causes of the adventure of Lieou li with the children of Sakya. 

“ Very anciently,” said he, “ there was near the town of Lo youe, a village 
inhabited by fishermen; a famine occurred, and as there was on one side of 
the village a tank abounding in fish, the people went thither to catch these 
for food. Among the fish there was one named fou (‘ ball of wheat’), the 


180 


PILGRIMAGE of fa hian. 

other to shi (babbler, slanderer), who conceived resentment (against the 
fishermen). At the same time a little boy who was amusing himself on the 
edge of the tank watching the frisking of the fish, took a stick, and struck them 
on the head. Well, the inhabitants of the town of Lo youe are now the 
children of Sakya ; the fish fou t is the king Lieou li; the fish to shi is the 
Brahmachari Hao khou ; and the little boy, myself. See by what tram of 
events the destiny of the king Lieou li has caused the destruction of the 
race of Sakya.”*—R. 

(37) The kingdom of She i. —The sequel of the narrative shows that the 
country here spoken of is that inhabited by the children of Sakya, that is, by 
the tribe to which the founder of the Buddhic religion belonged, himself 
surnamed Sakya Muni , ‘ the ascetic of the race of Sakya,’ Sdkya Sinha, 

‘ the Lion of Sakya,’ &c.: for we must not forget that Sakya is the name 
of a race, and not of a man, although we habitually use it to designate this 
Buddha, son of Suddhodana. The denomination She i here given to the 
kingdom of the children of Sakya must be one of those applied to Kapila ; 

but its etymology is hitherto unknown.—R. 

(38) Tou wei.—l know not the Sanscrit form of this name, but the 
following note will show that it was not in the country of Kdsala that the 
Buddha Kasyapa was supposed to have been born. R. 

(39) Foe kia she,- that is, KSsyapa Buddha. This name Kasyapa, bor. 
rowed from brahman antiquity, is applied by the Samaneans to one of 
their Buddhas, who immediately preceded Sakya Muni; it is interpreted 
« imbibing light; also, ‘ tortoise .’ The first explanation is but a play on the 
words, Kasyapa being in fact translatable ‘ Splendorem bibens vel absorbens 
because the brilliant light which emanated from his body eclipsed all other 
lights. It is rendered by the Mongols Gerel sakitchi (Schmidt). Many 
legends and mythological particulars are narrated of the life of the Buddha 
Kasyapa. According to the ‘ Chronological series of the predecessors of 
Buddha * the third Buddha, Kasyapa, appeared in the ninth little Kalpa, 
of the present age, in the time of the decrease, when the life of man was re- 
duced to twenty thousand years ; that is to say, nearly two million years 
ago. According to the ‘ long Agama/f he was of the race of brahmans, of 
the family of Kasyapa. His father’s name was Fan te (< virtue of Brahma; 
Brahma sila ?), his mother’s Tsai chu (opulent). He dwelt in the city of 
Benares, and seated beneath a nyagrodha (ficus indica), he preached the 
law to an assembly of which he converted twenty thousand men. The two 

* San tsang fa sou, B. XXXIII. p. 24. v. _ rTTT 

t Foe tsou toting ki, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, t>. A V III. p. U. 

$ Quoted in the Shin i tian, B. LXXVII. 


CHAPTER XX. 


181 


spirits that assisted him (genii pedes) were Thi she and Pho lo pho; he who 
assembled his troops was & hen fan tseu . I am unable to explain the meaning 
of the terms genii pedes, exercitum colligere ; there are similar ones in each 
of the notices of the six Buddhas anterior to Sakya Muni. 

According to the book entitled ‘ Procedures of the Tathagatas,’* if the 
formulae are properly repeated, Kasyapa Buddha maintains himself in space, 
and extends his protection to all living beings, assuring them against all 
sickness, all misfortune, and the influence of evil spirits. Here are the 
formulae to which I add their restored Sanscrit forms. 


1. Nan wou Foe tho ye. 

Namo Buddhaya. 

2. Nan wou Tha my ye. 

Namo Dharmaya. 

3. Nan wou Seng kia ye. 

Namo Sangaya. 

4. Nan wou Kia she pho Tho kia to ye na. 

Namo Kasyapaya. 

5. An ! 

Om ! 

6. Ho lo, ho lo, ho lo, ho lo. 

Hara, hara, hara. 

7. Ho, ho, ho. 

Ho, ho, ho. 

8. Nan wou Kia she pho ye. 

Namo Kasyapaya. 

9. A lo han ti. 

Arhate. 

10. San miao San foe tho ye. 

Samyaksambuddhaya 

11. Sy chu ho shi. 


12. Ma to lo po tho. 


13. Sou pho ho. 

Swaha. 


When the Buddha had finished the revelation of these formulse, he ad¬ 
dressed the bodhisattwa Akasagarbha and said : “Excellent young man! 
these,formulae have been recited by Buddhas in number equal to thirty! 
three times the grains of the sands of the Ganges: thou shouldst collect 
them and recite them, practising good works. Oh Akasagarbha ! if there 
be any virtuous man or virtuous woman who by day and night, and in the 
three times, shall repeat these formulae, he shall behold the Buddhas in a 
dream, and be delivered from all the impediments arising from the acts of 
his life.” 

The invocation of Kasyapa given in the ‘ Praises of the Seven Buddhas .’ 
is conceived in the following terms : “ I adore Kasyapa, the lord of the 
world, the most excellent and most eminent sage, born in Benares, of a 
family of Brahmans reverenced by princes ; the life of his illustrious body- 
endured twenty thousand years, and the waters of the three worlds were 
dried up by the lamp of that divine wisdom which he acquired beneath the 
nyagrodha tree.’ We may observe that this Sanscrit passage, agreeing in 
some particulars with the Chinese version of the long Agama, is contrary to 
* Quoted in the Shin i tian, B. LKXVI1, 


R 


182 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HI AN. 


the direct testimony of Shy fa hian, who makes the birth-place of Kasyapa 
far from Benares, in the northern part of the district of Oude. 

The book entitled Jou Jcouan foe san mi Icing, says that the body of 
Kasyapa was sixteen toises high, and the glory round his head twenty 
yojanas. According to another work (the Fa yuan chu lin), the Buddha 
Kasyapa having preached upon the sacred books, in one assembly twenty 
thousand bhikshus obtained the dignity of Arhan. 

The King te chouan leng lou reckons Kasyapa Buddha as the third Honor¬ 
able of the Kalpa of sages, that is the third Buddha of the present age.—R. 

(40) An interview.— This must be a consecrated phrase, for it is again 
found lower down on the occasion'of the Buddha Krakuchchanda. As 
Sakya Muni had an interview with his father Suddhodana, an attempt has 
no doubt been made to imitate this particular of his life and reproduce it in 
that of the pretended predecessors of the historical Buddha.—R. 

(42) Shell;— the Sanscrit word Sarira, translated by the Chinese, the 
‘ hones of the body.* —R. 

(43) The Jou lai, that is the Tathagata, he whose advent has actually 
happened, according to the meaning of the Chinese and Tartar terms which 
answer to the Sanscrit word ; and more exactly according to the analysis of 
this last, and to the Buddhic doctrine, the ‘ thus gone,’ who has definitely 
quitted relative to enter upon absolute existence, or nirvana. It is translated 
in Tibetan Be b jin g&hegs pa, in Manchou Mekou dzikhe, in Mongol Tagout - 
silan iraksan. It is the first of the ten honorable names assigned to the 
Buddhas. It is understood in three different senses according as it is appli¬ 
ed to the three states of the Buddha (the three bodies), to his state of law 
(Dharmakaya), to his glorious manifestation in the world of ideas (Sam- 
bhogakaya), and to his bodily transformation (Nirmanakaya). A Buddha is 
Tathagatha in the second sense, because the first principle, the essence of 
things, is similitude, identity (with intelligence, an idea conceived by it) 
and he has come to assimilate to perfect intelligence.* He is Tathagata 
in the third sense, inasmuch as borne along by the real nature of 
Similitude (identity of intelligent nature), he has come to the state of perfect 
intelligence.f—R. 

The word Tathagata in Sanscrit means the same as Be b jin in Tibetan ; 
* he who has gone in the manner of his predecessors. 1 —Kl. 

For a further elucidation of the meaning of the word Tathagata, the rea¬ 
der may consult Mr. Hodgson’s article, European Speculations on Budd~ 
hism, J. A. S. vol. 3, p. 384, from which I quote the following passage. 

* Chouan fa Inn lun. 

t Ching chi lun. 


chapter xxi. 


183 


“ The word tathagata is reduced to its elements and explained in three ways » 

1st, thus gone , which means gone in such a manner that he (the tathagata) 
will never appear again ; births having been closed by the attainment of per¬ 
fection. 2nd, thus got or obtained , which is to say, (cessation of births) 
obtained, degree by degree, in the manner described in the Bauddha Scrip¬ 
tures, and by observance of the precepts therein laid down. 3d, thus gone, 
that is, gone as it (birth) came—the pyrrhonic interpretation of those who 
hold that doubt is the end, as it is the beginning, of wisdom ; and that that 
which causes birth causes likewise the ultimate cessation of them, whether 
that * final close’ be conscious immortality, or virtual nothingness. Thus 
the epithet tathagata , so far from meaning come (avenu), and implying incar¬ 
nation, signifies the direct contrary, or ‘ gone for ever’, and announces the 
impossibility of incarnation; and this according to all schools, sceptical, 
theistic, and atheistic.” 

To this I may add the interpretation of the word as given by Wilson in his 
dictionary :—“ cpsspfjyff, A Gina or Buddha; cT^T, thus (what really is), and 
known, obtained.”—J. W. L. 


CHAPTER XXI. 


Town of Na pi kia.—Birth-place of Keou leou thsin foe and of Keou na han meou 

ni foe. 


Proceeding twelve yeou yan south-east of the town of She 
wei, you come to a city named Na pi kia. x It is the birth¬ 
place of Keou leou thsin foe.* There also are Seng kia lan in the 
places where the father and the son held an interview , 3 and on the 
site of the pan ni houan are erected towers. 

Proceeding thence less than a yeou yan towards the south, 
you come to a city which is the spot where Keou na han meou 
ni foe 4 received birth. There too have they erected towers on 
the spot where the father and the son held an interview, and on 
that of the pan ni houan. 
r 2 



184 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA IIIAN. 


NOTES. 

(1) Na pi kia. —This place is unknown.—R. 

Wilson in discussing the position of Na pi kia, observes that with refer¬ 
ence to the succeeding as well as the preceding route, it should be to the 
north of Gorakhpur: but as our pilgrim journeyed in a south-easterly 
direction from She wet (Fvzabad, or Oude), it seems more probable that 
Na pi kia lay to the south of that town. Nor will this supposition be at all 
inconsistent with the subsequent course of Fa hian to Kapilavastu, Lan mo, 
as we shall see further on.—J. W. L. 

(2) Kieou leou thsin foe. —The name of one of the Buddhas anterior to 
Sakya Muni. It is sometimes spelt Keou lean stm, —a corruption of the 
Sanscrit Krakuchchanda,—and is interpreted ‘ that ivhich should he inter¬ 
rupted or suppressed;’ referring to vices and passions which should be so 
annihilated that no trace of them may remain. The Mongols render the 
name Ortchilany i ebdektchi. This Buddha was born in the ninth kalpa 
of the present cycle, when the life of man was reduced to sixty thousand 
years, and therefore five million nine hundred and ninety-two thousand 
eight hundred years ago.* The book entitled ‘ the Long Agama,’ brings 
him down to the time when men lived only forty thousand years, that 
is, two millions of years nearer us. According to the same work he was 
a brahman of the family of Kasyapa; his father was named Li te, 
and his mother Shen chi. He dwelt in the town An ho (* peace and con¬ 
cord’), and preached the law seated under a tree Shi li sha ( sirisha , acacia 
sirisa ), and in a single assembly effected the salvation of forty thousand men. 
His ‘ spiritual supports’ were Sa ni and Pi leou; his guardian, the supreme 
conqueror Shen kio tsen (Son of Good Intelligence). 

The book of the ‘ Proceedings of the Tathagatas’ teaches that when good 
use is made of the prayers and formulas, the Buddha Krakuchchanda retains 
himself in space, extending his protection to all living creatures, expelling 
sickness and all manner of evil, as also demons. To this end the following 
formula is repeated : (I omit this as it is nearly identical with the foregoing, 
p. 181, the word Krakuchchanda being substituted for Kasyapa.—J. W. L.) 

Then said the Buddha Krakuchchanda to the Bodhisattwa Akasagarbha : 
il Excellent youth ! these dhdrams (invocations) are such as the Krakuch¬ 
chanda Buddhas, having the same name (as I), in number equal to the sands 
of the Ganges, as also the Buddhas of the three times, have taught, and of 


* Fail y ming i, Book I. 


CHAPTER XXI. 


185 


which they have proclaimed the efficacy. If men keep these divine formulas, 
they may be able, even in the last kalpa of future time, to establish firmly the 
worship of the three precious (ones), and give birth to the veritable faith. 
As for the bhikshus, the bhikshunis, the upasikas, the upayis, who shall 
constantly recite and observe them, they shall expel from their visible 
bodies all kinds of maladies and ailings.” 

This is the invocation of Krakuchchanda as given in the Sapta Buddha 
Stotra: “I adore Krakuchchanda, Lord of the Munis, the unequalled 
Sugata, the source of perfection, born at Kshemavati of a family of brah¬ 
mans reverenced by the kings: the life of this treasure of excellence was 
forty thousand years ; and he obtained at the foot of the Sirisha tree the 
state of Jainendra with the arms of the knowledge which annihilates the three 
worlds.”—R. 

(4) Keou na han meou ni Foe,— otherwise Ka na hia meou ni, or Kiu na 
han meou ni, in Sanscrit Kanaka Muni. The word is interpreted ‘golden, 
quietude / Kanaka signifying gold, and marking the external lustre of the 
personage ; and Muni the absence in secluded life of all obstacle to repose * 
Others translate the word * Golden Anchorite because this Buddha had 
a body of the colour of gold.f The Mongols name him Alton chidaktchi.% 
He was born in the world at the time when human life was reduced to forty 
thousand years, that is to say, three millions seven hundred and fourteen 
thousand one hundred years ago. This personage was a brahman of the 
family of Kasyapa; his father was named Ta te (great virtue) and his 
mother Shen shing (very victorious). He lived in the town of Very.pure, 
and under the tree called Ou tsan pho lo men ( Udambara , ficus glomerata) 
held an assembly where he preached this law and converted thirty thousand 
men. His ‘spiritual supports,’§ were Shu phan na and Yo to leou, his 
guardian was ‘guide of the multitude, son of tranquil concord '/ Of the 
meaning of these mystical expressions I am ignorant. 

According to the book of the « Procedures of the Tathagatas/ when the 
formulas are properly recited, Kanaka Muni Buddha sustains himself in 
space. He extends his protection to all living creatures, expels all maladies, 
and drives away all evil spirits. It is with this purpose that he delivered 
the following invocations. (Nearly identical with those given in poge 181, 
Kia na kia menou being substituted for Kia she pho. —J. W. L.) 

After having finished the utterance of these invocations, the Buddha 

* Fan y ming i, quoted in the San tsang fa sou , B, XXVIII. p. 10. 
t Ta chi tou lun , quoted as above, 
j Schmidt, Notes sur Sanang Setsen, p. 306. 

$ See note 39, Chap. XX. 


186 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


Kanaka Muni addressed the Bodhisattwa Akasagarbha and said ; “ Excellent 
young man ! if a man or a woman endowed with virtue incessantly repeat 
these dharani (invocations) and observe them, all maladies shall be remov¬ 
ed and cured.” . 

The Sapta Buddha Stotra,* * * § contains the following invocation to Kanaka 
Muni: “ I adore Kanaka Muni, sage and legislator, freed from the blind¬ 
ness of mundane illusions, who was born in the city of Sobhanavati , of 
a race of brahmans honored by kings. His resplendent person existed 
thirty thousand years. Generous as the mountain of precious stones, he 
obtained Buddhahood under the tree udumbara.” 

The Jou Jcouan foe san mi king assures us that the height of Kanaka 
Muni, was twenty-five yojanas, and that of his aureola thirty ; and that the 
light emanating from his body extended forty yojanas. 

Krakuchchanda, Kanaka Muni, and Kasyapa, are denominated the Bud¬ 
dhas of the past time. They are the first three of the thousand Buddhas, 
who are to appear in the present Kalpa, called the Kalpa of sages; Sakya 
Muni is the fourth. Or, uniting with these the three Buddhas who appeared 
in the preceding ages, Vipasyi, Sikhi, and Viswabhu, there are seven per¬ 
sonages of this rank habitually named together as the seven Buddhas; but 
no sufficient reason has been given for this association of the last three 
Buddhas of the anterior with the first four of the present Kalpa. Mr. 
Schmidt, thinks that “ the first three are not named in Buddhic works;” 
(“ indess findet man in Buddhaischen Biichern die drei ersten nicht ge- 
nannt.”)f An error which arises from this, that in books which have no 
reference to any but the present age, they begin the series of Buddhas with 
the first of that Kalpa, Krakuchchanda, without ascending to an anterior 
period. But the very work which this savant has translated negatives his 
own observation ; for Sanang Setsen mentions Sikhi and Viswabhu. 

Mr. Hodgson thinks that we cannot doubt the historical existence of the 
six Buddhas anterior to Sakya Muni ■,% while Mr. Wilson on the other 
hand thinks their real existence very questionable.! To judge this matter 
merely from the fabulous accounts of them that have reached us, there need 
be no doubt upon the subject. Another point well worthy of consideration 
is the succession of the four Buddhas and their distribution in the four 
yugas. “ It is well worthy of remark,” says Mr. Hodgson, “ that according 
to the most authentic ancient scriptures, the succession of the seven Bud- 

* Asiat. Res. Vol. XVI. p. 454. 

t Notes on Sanang Setsen, p. 306. 

i As. Res. XVI. p. 445. 

§ Ibid. p. 455. 


CHAPTER XXT. 


187 


dhas fills the entire duration of time : the two first being referred to the 
Satyayuga; the next two to the trita; the succeeding to the dtcdpara : 
Sakya and the future Buddha being Lords of the present age.” This is a 
Brahmanical notion inoculated upon Buddhism by the inhabitants of Nepal, 
and not to be found in original works, where the succession of Buddhas is 
exhibited in a very different manner. Without repeating here what I have 
said elsewhere, the following table will recall the principal features of this 
fantastic chronology, which appears subject to no variation among Buddhist 


nations. 

Kalpa of 

Wonders. 

1000 Buddhas. 

997 Anonymous Buddhas. 

Vipasyi, 998th Buddha. 

Sikhi, 999th do. 

Viswabhu, 1000th and last Buddha of that age. 

Kalpa of sages 

Krakuchchanda, 1st Buddha of this period. 

(the present age). 

Kanaka Muni, 2d do. 

1000 Buddhas. 

Kasyapa, 3d do. 

Sakya Muni, 4th do. 

Maitreya, 5th (future). 

995 future Buddhas. _R, 


The following observations on this highly curious and important subject 
by the late Honorable Mr. Tumour are so a propos, that no apology is 
necessary for their introduction in this place. “ It is an important point 
connected with the Buddhistical creed, says Mr. Tumour, which (as far as I 
am aware) has not been noticed by any other writer, that the ancient history, 
as well as the scheme of the religious Buddhists, are both represented to 
have been exclusively developed by revelation. Between the manifestation 
of one Buddha and the advent of his successor two periods are represented 
to intervene—the first is called the Buddhantaro or Buddhot-pado, being 
the interval between the manifestation of one Buddha and the epoch when 
his religion becomes extinct. The age in which we now live is the Buddhot- 
pado of Gotamo. His religion was destined to endure 5000 years, of which 
2380 have now passed away (A. D. 1837) since his death, and 2620 are yet 
to come. The second is the Abudahot-pado, or the term between the 
epochs when the religion revealed by one Buddha becomes extinct and 
another Buddho appears, and revives, by revelation, the doctrines of the 
Buddhistical faith. It would not be practicable, within the limits which 
I must here prescribe for myself, to enter into an elucidation of the prepos¬ 
terous term assigned to an Abuddhdtpado, or to describe the changes which 
the creation is stated to undergo during that term. Suffice it to say, that 






188 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA IIIAN. 






during that period, not only does the religion of each preceding Buddha 
become extinct, but the recollection and record of all. preceding events are 
also lost. These subjects are explained in various portions of the Pitakat- 
taya, but in too great detail to admit of my quoting those passages in this 
place. 

By this fortunate fiction, a limitation has been prescribed to the mystifi¬ 
cation in which the Buddhistical creed has involved all the historical data 
contained in its literature, anterior to the advent of Gotamo, while in the 
Hindu literature there appears to be no such limitation ; inasmuch as Pro¬ 
fessor Wilson in his analysis of the Puranas, from which (excepting the 
Raja Tarningini) the Hindu historical data are chiefly obtained, proves that 
those works are, comparatively, of modern date. The distinguishing cha¬ 
racteristics, then, between the Hindu and Buddhistical historical data appear 
to consist in these particulars ;—that the mystification of Hindu data is 
protracted to a period so modern that no part of them is authentic, in re¬ 
ference to chronology ; and that their fabulous character is exposed by every 
gleam of light thrown on Asiatic history, by the histories of other countries, 
and more especially by the writers who flourished, respectively, at the 
periods of, and shortly after, the Macedonian and Mahomedan conquests 5 
while the mystification of the Buddhistical data ceased a century at least 
prior to B. C. 588, when prince Siddhato attained Buddhahood, in the 
character of G6tamo Buddlio. According to the Buddhistical creed, there¬ 
fore, all remote historical data, whether sacred or profane, anterior to G6- 
tama’s advent, are based on his revelation. They are involved in absurdity 
as unbounded as the mystification in which Hindu literature is enve¬ 
loped.” 

A firm belief in the predecessors of Buddha must have been general at a 
very early period ; and it is not a little curious to observe that at the time of 
Fa hian’s transit, the heretical followers of Devadatta ” honored the three Foes 
of the past time,” that is, Krakuchchanda, Kanaka Muni, and Kasyapa; 
but placed no faith in Sakya Sinh, to whose impostures alone these owed 
their mythological existence.—J. W. L. 


CHAPTER XXII. 


189 


CHAPTER XXII. 


Town of Kei ’wei lo ’wei.—The King’s Field.—Birth of Foe. 

Thence proceeding easterly one yeou yan' you come to the 
town of Kei wei lo 9 wei. 2 In this town there are neither king 
nor people ; it is literally a vast solitude. There are only eccle¬ 
siastics, and some tens of houses of inhabitants. This is the site 
of the ancient palace of the king Pe tsing , 3 and it is here that 
they made a representation of the Prince and mother, taken at 
the moment when the Prince seated on a white elephant entered 
the womb of the latter. 4 

At the place where the Prince issued from the town by the 
eastern gate ; at that where, at the sight of a sick man, 6 he caused 
his chariot to turn and retraced his way ; everywhere they have 
erected towers. At the place where A i 6 contemplated the Prince ; 
at that where Nan tho and others struck the elephant; in that 
where they drew the bow, T the arrow of which proceeding to the 
south-west entered the ground at the distance of thirty li, and 
cause a spring of water to issue (arranged by men of aftertimes 
in the form of wells from which drinking water is supplied to 
travellers) ; at that where Foe, after having obtained the doctrine,® 
came back to visit the king his father ; at that where the five 
hundred sons of the Ska Ay as 9 embraced monastic life and paid 
homage to Yeou pho li , J0 at the place where the earth trembled 
in six ways at the place where Foe preached in favour of the 
gods, the kings of whom so guarded the gates thereof that the 
king his father could not approach the assembly ; at the place 
where Ta ’ai tao gave a Seng kia li 12 in alms to Foe, who was 
seated facing the east under a Ni keou liu 13 tree, which exists still; 
in the place where the king Lieou li destroyed the family of the 
Shakyas, 14 which had first attained the rank of Siu tho wan ;' 5 


190 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


(in all those places) they have erected towers which still remain. 

To the north-east of the town, at the distance of several li , is 
the Royal Field. Here is the place where the Prince, under 
a tree, watched the labourers.'® To the east of the town fifty 
li is the Royal Garden ;' T this garden bears the name of Lun 
ming. The Lady 18 having entered the tank to bathe, came out 
therefrom by the northern gate; she proceeded twenty steps, 
took in her hand the branch of a tree, and turning to the east 
give birth to the Prince. Fallen to the ground, the Prince made 
seven steps. Two kings of the dragons washed his body. 19 On 
the site of this ablution they have made a well; and it is at this 
well, as also at the tank where the washing took place, that the 
ecclesiastics are in the habit of drawing the water they drink. 
There are, for all the Foes, four places determined from all 
eternity ; the first is that where they accomplish the doctrine ;*° the 
second, that where they turn the wheel of the law; the third, 
where they preach the law,* 1 where they hold discussions, and 
subdue the heretics;* 2 the fourth where they re-descendfrom the 
heaven of Tao li , 88 whither they ascend to preach the law 
in favor of their mother. 24 The other places are those of sundry 
manifestations called forth by circumstances. The kingdom of 
Kia 9 wei lo ’wei is a great solitude ; the people are scattered, and 
white elephants and lions are to be apprehended on the roads, 
so that one may not travel there without precaution. 

Travelling five yeou yan towards the east from the place 
where Foe was born, you come to the kingdom of Lan mo. 

NOTES. 

(1) One yojana. —About one league and a third. 

(2) Kia ’wei lo ’wei. —It must certainly be by an error of the press that 
the third syllable of this name has been suppressed in the Wen hian thoung 
khaOy where we read Kia wei ’wei ; a fault recurring elsewhere. The Mongols 
write Kabilik, and the author of the Tarikh khatayeh, ^ US' Kiapilavi. 
The greater number of Chinese Buddhist writers render it Kia pi lo ; some 
by mistake interpreting the word beneficent; others, more exactly, tawny. 


CHAPTER XXII. 


191 


The signification of the word Kcipilavastu cannot be a matter of doubt, since 
we possess the Tibetan translatio n |JQ’£]<t Ser s’kyai g’ji (the 

deep yellow soil) or <VX/gQ’S]V Ser s ’kyai g’hrong (the town of the 
deep yellow). Ser s’kyai signifies deep yellow or tawny, kapila in 
Sanscrit. It was also the name of the celebrated hermit Kapila, 

who gave the founders of the kingdom of Kapila the ground upon which 
they erected their town, as will be seen in note 9 of this chapter. The 
author who spells this word most correctly is Hiuan thsang ; he renders it 
Kie pi lo fa sa tou ,* the exact transcription of Kapilavastu , or Kapila - 
vatthu of Pali works. The Burmese write the word Kapilavat; the Siamese 
Kabmlawathou or Kabilapat ; the Singhalese, Kimboulvat ; and the Nepalese 
Kapilapur. 

The kingdom of Kapila is mentioned by Ma iouan lin under the name 
of Ka pi li. In the article India , he says: “In the 5 th of the years 
Yuan kia, in the reign of the emperor Wen ti of the Soung (428 A. D.), 
Yu ai , king of Kia pi li in Thian chu, sent an ambassy to the emperor. It 
conveyed a letter and presents consisting of diamond rings, bridle-rings 
of gold, and rare animals, amongst which were a red and a white parroquet. 
Under the emperor Ming ti of the same dynasty, the second of the years 
Thai chi (A. D. 466) Kia pi li again sent an ambassador to China bearing 
tribute. 

The Ly tai ki szu also mentions an embassy from the king of Kia pi li 
in the year 428 of our era, adding that the letter to the emperor was con¬ 
ceived altogether in the style of the sermons of Buddha.J 

The editors of the great geographical collection entitled Pian i iian, 
speaking of Kie pi lo fa sou tou, say that the name was formerly written 
erroneously Kia pi lo wei, and that this country was situated on the frontier 
of Mid-India ; but they appear to have remained in doubt whether the Kia 
wei lo ’wei of Fa hian, and the Kie pi lo fa sou tou of Hiuan thsang, were 
identical; so that after having inserted in its appropriate place the quota¬ 
tion from the Foe koue ki referring to the former name, they have referred 
elsewhere the chapter of the Si yu chi, applicable to the second. But then 
they have omitted to transcribe this chapter; an omission most unfortunate 
for us, as we are thus deprived of sundry points of comparison of the utmost 
importance for the elucidation of the portion of Fa hian’s narrative at pre¬ 
sent before us. 

* Pianitian. B. LXXV. 

t See Wen hian thoung khao, B. CCCXXXVIII. p. 15. and Pian i tian, B. 
LX VII. art. 5, Notice of the kingdom of Kia pi li, p. 1 ; taken from the History 
oi the I and Man. 

$ Ly ta'i ki szu, B. XLVI. p. 350. 


192 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA MIAN. 


I believe that I was the first to point out the error of the common opini¬ 
on that Sakya Muni was born in Mcigadha , or South Behar. In a note which 
I appended to the French translation of Mr. Wilson’s * Notice of three Bud¬ 
dhist works,’ inserted in the Nouveau Journal Asiatique for 1831, p. 103, 
I observed, “It is not very easy to indicate with precision the site of 
Kapilavastu, or Kapilapur. According to Chinese accounts, it would 
appear that this town was situated in the north of India, in the country of 
Ayodhia or Oude. * * * All our ideas of the country of Salcya Sinha 

lead us to search for it further to the north, in the country at present 
named Oude, and anciently Ayodhya.” 

According to the Kah gyur, or great collection of Buddhist works trans¬ 
lated into Tibetan, the town of Kapila or Kapilavastu, was situated in Ko- 
sala, or the Oude of our times. At the time of Sakya’s birth the greater 
part of central India was subject to the kings of Magadha , and for this 
reason the country of Kosala in which Kapila was situated, was considered 
as belonging to Magadha, to which it was probably tributary. At all events, 
Magadha was the scene of the earliest labours of Sakya Muni, and there is 
less wonder that many Buddhists have referred the birth of their legislator 
to Magadha also.* 

The Tibetans assert that Kapila was near to Mount Kailas, (a denomina¬ 
tion which must here extend to the whole Himalayan chain) and upon the 
river Bhagirathi, which is the upper Ganges, or on the Rohini, which is not 
to be confounded with that known at present by the same name, one of the 
affluents of the Gandak. Kapila must moreover be close to the frontier of 
Nepal, since according to Buddhist legends, when the Sakyas were expelled 
from their own country, they retired to the former place. The Chinese chro¬ 
nology of the Buddhist patriarchs places it indeed to the south-west of Nepal,f 
and according to another Buddhist narrative the country of Benares, was 
situated to the south of that of Kia ’wei lo wei;% Kia pi lo is placed in the 
Chinese map of Hindostan, given in the Japanese Encyclopedia, to the 
north of Benares, and the kingdom of A yu tho (Ayodhya) of Kiao changmi 
and Kiao sa lo (Kosala). Thus, as far as we can gather from a map confu¬ 
sedly compiled from the notions of Chinese travellers, Kapila should be north 
of Benares, north-east of that part of the province of Oude which con¬ 
stituted the kingdom of Rama; and thus far its position is confirmed by 
the narrative of Fa hian. From Kanouj our author travelled south-east to 
reach Kosala; he pursued the same direction, then that of east to arrive at 

* J. A. S. Vol. 1. p. 7. 

Japan. Encyclop han. B. LX1Y. p. 27. 

$ Yuan kianhoui, B. CCXVI. p. 6- 


CHAPTER XXII, 


193 


Kupila. According to this indication and that of the Kah ghyur quoted 
above, this town should be situated on the banks of the river Rohini, or 
Rohein, which flows from the mountains of Nepal, unites with the Mahanada, 
and falls into the Rapti below the present town of Goruckpore. Thus we 
may consider the birth-place of Buddha as a well ascertained point. 

In his Essay on Buddhism, Mr. Hodgson says that Kapilavastu was situat¬ 
ed near to Ganya Sayar. The following particulars regarding the latter 
nameare from Wilson’s Dictionary : “ the ocean. To bathe the bones 

of Sagara’s 60,000 sons, the Ganges is said to have been led by Bhagiratha, 
his great-greatgrandson, to the ocean, at a place now called Ganga Sagar.” 
—Kl. (The story is given at length in the Vishnu Purdna, Wilson’s transla¬ 
tion. p. 377—379.—J. W. L.) 

The exact position of Kapilavastu is one of the desiderata in the geography 
of ancient India, which may possibly yet be ascertained by local enquiries, 
assisted by the route of our pilgrim, and the incidental notices to be found 
in Tibetan and Pali books. According to the Dul-va, it was situated near 
Kailas , on the Bhagirathi , or as elsewhere stated, on the Rohini river. 5 **' 
Professor Wilson in his account of the Foe kue ki, observes, 4 that Kapila¬ 
vastu must have been situated to the eastward, somewhere near the hills 
separating Nepal from Gorakhpur, it being described as situated on the 
Rohini, a mountain stream which is one of the feeders of the Rapti. The 
Itineraries of Fa hian and Hiouan thsang show that the position was accu¬ 
rately described, and that Kapila or Kapilavastu, the birth-place of Sakya, 
was situated north of Gorakhpur, near where the branches of the Rapti 
issue from the hills. ”+ 

This does not appear to me so clear however. That portion of Hiouan 
thsang’s Itinerary referring to Kapilavastu is unfortunately omitted in the 
copy of the Pian i tian accessible to the learned French editors ; and if we 
trace Fa hian’s course from She wei or Fvzabad, we shall find that the 
direction is south-easterly ; which, making every allowance for the loose 
and general way in which the bearings are enunciated, would bring us to the 
south, and certainly not to the north, of Gorakhpur. This would place 
Kapilavastu on the banks of the Gogra, or even on the Ganges. That it was 
situated on the bank of a navigable stream, we have the authority of the 
Rajavali, whatever that be worth.* In the same work we have the follow¬ 
ing tradition of the foundation of that city, which would lead us to infer 


* See Wilson, Abstract of the Ditl-va, J. A. S. Vol. I. p. 7. 
t 7 11. A. S. Vol. V. p- 124. 

* Upharn, Sacred and Hist, books of Ceylon, Vol, II- p. 177. 


194 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


that its site was north of and not very far from Benares. “ Upon hearing 
this, all the following people left the country and accompanied the four 
princes ; viz. the daughter of the said king with their attendants and pro¬ 
perty, 1000 ministers, brahmins, rich men, and several thousands of mer¬ 
chants ; and on the first day the whole company proceeded on their march 
as far as a mile, on the second day they marched eight miles, and on the 
third day they marched twelve miles, pursuing their march in the wilderness, 
and on one side of the city called Bareness (Benares); and there the princes 
took council, and spoke amongst themselves, saying, “ if we take a town 
not belonging to us by force, it will greatly tarnish our fame, ,, and so they 
determined to build a new town. One of the said princes Remained there 
with the multitude to clear the wilderness, and when the others went 
through the wilderness in search of a good place to make a town, they 
found a hermit called Capilawastoo, at the foot of a bogaha tree, in 
front of a lake, which hermit had devoted himself to piety and religion. 
He asked the princes what they inquired for ? and the princes related to 
him that which they searched for ; then the hermit advised them to place 
their city where his own hermitage stood, and also he gave them en¬ 
couragement by reciting to them a good account of the said ground, say¬ 
ing, that when the foxes happened to run after the hares, as soon as the 
hares came to that hermitage they used to turn about and run after the foxes* 
and in like manner the does after the tigers, &c. ; likewise, that any person 
or persons who should live in this place would always be in great favour with 
the gods and brahmas, and also be able to vanquish their enemies in time 
of war ; therefore that this ground would be the most proper for their pur¬ 
pose ; and also the hermit requested the princes, after they made tbe city, 
to call it by his own name, Capilawastoo ; then according to the advice given 
by the hermit, the four princes built the city, and gave it the name of Capi¬ 
lawastoo pura.” 

In the extracts from the Atthahatha, called the Maduratthawilasini , on the 
Buddhawanso, given by the Honorable Mr. Tumour in the Journal Asiatic 
Society, Yol. VII. p. 791, we read that Sakya at the requisition of his rela¬ 
tives and disciples, proceeded from Rajagahan on a visit to Kapilawatthu , 
and that by travelling at the rate of one yojana daily he reached the latter city 
in two months ; thus making the distance sixty yojanas. Mr. Tumour esti¬ 
mates the yojana at sixteen English miles ; but this is manifestly an exces¬ 
sive valuation. Judging from the distances given by our pilgrim in Ma- 
gadha, the yojana of that part of his route could not greatly exceed 4 miles 
(see Capt. Kittoe.On the route of Fa hian through Behar, J. A. S. Vo!. 
XVI. p. 954,) while mother parts of his itinerary the yojana must represent 


CHAPTER XXII. 


155 


double, that distance, or even more. If we take 4 miles as the average 
equivalent of the yojana in Magadha, the distance of Kapilavastu from Raja, 
gnha will be about 240 ; and deducting one-fifth or one-sixth for the sinuo- 
sities of the route, we shall have the direct distance 190 or 200 miles. This 
would coincide well enough with Fa hian’s account, and make the site of 
Kapilavastu on the Gogra south or south-west of Gorakhpur : a position 
Winch will be further confirmed by tracing our pilgrim’s course retrogressive, 
iy from Phi she li. See my note on the locality of that town, Chap. XXV. 
when the present subject will be resumed.—J. W. L. 

(3) The king Pe tsing .—This was the name of Sakya Muni’s father ; it 
signifies in Chinese white and pure. He is sometimes named Tsing Jan 

wang, or ‘ the king who eats pure food. f It is the translation of the San- 
scrit Sudhddana. 

^ I subjoin the genealogy of the house of Sakya Muni. The Chinese and 
gol are i« fc&J Tibetan and 


Tsing Jan wang. 
(P. Suddhddana, 
Zas d,zzang ma, 
M. Arighon ide- 
ghetou.) 

( - A -\ 

Si Nan 

tha tho 

to 


Ta shen seng wang, 
I szu mo wang. 

• Yeou lo tho wang. 
Khiu lo wang . 
Nifeou lo wang , 

I 

Ssu tsu kie wang. 


(P. Sinhahana Kabdnd. 

Sengghe h’ghram. 

M. Oghadjetou arsalan). 
_A- 


Pe fan wang. 

P. Suklodana, 
Tas d,kur, 

M. Tsagha ide* 
ghetou.) 

Thiao . 

. Anan 

t(X* 


Hou fan wang. 
P. Amitodana , 
Bre’wo zas, 

M. Tangsouk 
ideghetou.) 

( - A -\ 

Ma A 

ha na 

nan liu. 


Kan lou fan wang . 
P. Bhotodana , 
b,Douah r/tsi zas, 
M. Rachiyan ide¬ 
ghetou. 



so thi. 


Si tha to , in Sanscrit Siddharta, is the prince who, having obtained the 
rank of Buddha, was called Sakya Muni. The Chinese portion of the above 
table is taken chiefly from the Loui shou san thsa'i thou hoei, B. IX. p. 2. 
—Kl. 

(4) In the womb of his Mother .—When Sakya Muni, yet a Bodhisattwa 

s 2 














19G 


PI LG H'lM AGI' OF FA IIIAN. 


in the heaven Tushifca, Nvas about to become incarnate in the womb of his 
mother Malta mdxja , spouse-of the king Suddhddana, lie mounted a white 
elephant with six tusks and entered the body of his mother in the form of a 
five coloured pencil of light. This white elephant bears thefname Arajavartan, 
that is to say, the spotless way.— Kl. 

In addition to the Chinese illustration of the incarnation of Sakya Muni 
copied from the original. 1 give one taken from a fine piece of Hindu sculp¬ 
ture in the Asiatic Society’s museum, to show the difference of style adopted 
by the artists of these two nations in handling the same subject.—J. W. L. 

(5) At the sight of a sick man .—According to the great Japanese Ency¬ 
clopedia and other legends which I have had it in my power to consult, it 
was in issuing not by the eastern, but by the southern gate, that St/ tha, 
(in Sanscrit Sulilha, or Sarvartha Siddha, ‘ he who produces salvation'; 
fell in with the sick man. The legend of the life of Srikya Mam, while he 

^winlV! S ye^m‘ iis^paternal home, was ever sad and thoughtful. To 
divert his attention, his father married him to the princess Kieou i (Kacha- 
na) daughter of Shun kio (Suva buddha) king of Siu pho foe (Suprabud- 
dha). This alliance, however, did not restore tranquillity to the soul of his 
son. He was married to other wives of exquisite beauty ; one named ‘ All 
praise’ (Sarvastuti) and the other, 1 Ever joyous,’ (Sadananda). These three 
wives of Siddha had each twenty thousand damsels in their service, all 
beautifuly formed, and lovely as the nymphs of heaven. The king, his father, 
addressing Kieou i and the others, said to them; “ The prince hath now- 
sixty thousand women to entertain him with their music and to tend upon 
him ; is he happy and joyous ?” They answered him ; “ The prince is from 
morn till eve occupied with subtle studies and the doctrine ; he dreams 
neither of desire nor of joy.” The king, downcast at this news, summoned 
his ministers to consult anew. He stated to them how the pains he had 
taken in behalf of the prince were thrown away ; that neither wealth nor 
beauty could attract him from his pursuits; no pleasure delighted him. “ Is 
this then what A i hath said ?” he added. The Ministers replied ; “ Since 
sixty thousand damsels and all the pleasures of the world delight him not, 
let him travel to study government, and divert his thoughts from the 
doctrine.” Thereupon the king commanded that the prince should travel 
to observe. The prince said to himself—“ I have been long secluded in the 
midst of my palace, and I long to go abroad and inform myself of that 
which occupies my thoughts.” The king issued a mandate throughout 
his kingdom, that wherever the prince should go, the roads and the streets 
should be swept and watered, that perfumes should be burnt, and tapestries 


CHAPTER XXIT. 


197 


and flags and canopies hung up. The order was executed ; all was purified 
and adorned. The prince, attended by a thousand chariots and a thousand 
horsemen, went forth from the town by the eastern gate. Then a god 
of the class of Sutras, named Nan thi ho lo, to confirm the prince the 
choice of a religious career, and to help him in emancipating himself from 
desires inflamed like three poisonous fires in the ten parts, showered down 
the water of the law to extinguish these empoisoned flames. He accordingly 
transformed himself into an aged man, and sat down by the roadside ; his 
head white ; his teeth fallen away ; his skin flaccid and his face wrinkled ; his 
flesh dried up ; his back bent; the articulations of his frame prominent; the 
eyes watery; his nostrils running ; his breathing short and difficult; his skin 
darkened ; his head and hands trembling ; his frame and members emaciated 
and shaky ; deformed and naked, he exhibited himself set up in this place. 
The prince asked, “ Who is this man ?” “ He is an old man/' replied the 

attendants. “ And what is an old man V’ again asked the prince. ** It is 
one who hath lived many years, whose organs are worn out, whose form is 
changed, whose colour hath faded, whose respiration is feeble, whose strength 
is exhausted. He no longer digests what he eats. His joints become worn 
out; if he would lie down or sit, he cannot do so without the assistance of 
others. His eyes are dim, his ears dull. In turning round, he forgets all. 
If he speak, it is to complain or mourn. This is what we call an old man !” 
The distressed prince replied : “ If man, by being born in the world, is thus 
exposed to the wretchedness of old age, none but fools would desire to be 
so ! What satisfaction is there in it ? Beings that are born in springtime, 
dry up and wither in autumn and winter ! Old age comes like a lightning- 
flash ; what is there that should attach us to the body ?” And he uttered 
the following gatha; “ By old age the colour becomes faded and loses its 
freshness, the skin relaxes, and the back becomes bent; death approaches 
and haunts us. In old age the body changes and may be compared to 
an old chariot. The law can expel this bitterness. Our whole strength 
should be applied to study the means of subjecting our desires. When 
the days and the nights are ended, we should be diligent and resolute. In¬ 
stability is the reality of the world. If every faculty be not applied to it, 
we fall into darkness. Study must light the lamp of the spirit; let us of 
ourselves choose and follow knowledge and avoid every uncleanness. Con¬ 
tract no impurity. Take the torch, and examine the world and the doctrine.” 
The prince then turned his chariot and went back. His sorrow increased 
yet more; and the pain he experienced in thinking that all without ex¬ 
ception are subject to this grevious misfortune, deprived him of every 
happiness. The king asked of the attendants wherefore the prince who had 


198 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


but just issued for an excursion had so quickly returned ? They answered, 
that on the road he had fallen in with an aged man, the sight of whom so 
afflicted him, that not being able to enjoy any pleasure, he returned to the 
palace, and distressed himself with the thought of longevity. 

“ Shortly after he would again go forth. The king caused publish 
throughout the kingdom that the prince would again go abroad, and forbade 
that any foul or indecent object should be found on the roads. The prince 
then ascended his chariot and issued by the south gate of the town. The 
god counterfeited a sick man and stood by the way-side. His body was 
emaciated and his belly swollen up. His skin yellow and fevered. He 
coughed and groaned. He had pains in all his joints. From his nine 
orifices issued a bloody liquid. His eyes distinguished no colours. His 
ears heard no sounds. His breathing was short. His hands and feet 
struggled with empty space. He called his father and his mother, and clung 
grievously to his wife and his son. The prince demanded, Who is this ?” 
The attendants replied, “ It is a sick man.” The prince again asked, “ And 
what is a sick man ?” “ Man, they replied, is formed of the four elements, 

earth, water, fire, and air. Every element hath a hundred and one maladies 
that follow 7 each other successively. When the four hundred and four 
maladies are produced together, an extreme cold, an extreme heat, an extreme 
hunger, an extreme satiety, an extreme thirst, and extreme quenching are 
experienced ; all times being disturbed, the vicissitude of sleeping and waking 
is lost; and it is thus that he hath got this sickness.” The prince sighed, 
and said: “ I am in the richest and most prosperous condition, such as the 
world honors. Meat and drink abound for my month. I can yield myself up 
to my caprices, and when no longer able to exercise my understanding upon 
myself, I shall fall sick too. What difference will there then be betwixt this 
man and me ?” He then pronounced this gatha : u How frail a thing is 
the body ! It is formed of four elements and hath nine impure and dis¬ 
gusting orifices. It is subject to the torments of old age and sickness ; 
even when born again among the gods it is subject to instability. Born 
among men, it is scourged with diseases. I regard the body as a drop of 
rain ! What satisfaction is there in the world ?” Then the prince returned 
to his palace, pondering how without exception all are subject to grievous 
misfortune. The king enquired of the attendants how the prince felt himself 
during the promenade ? They replied that having fallen in with a sick man, 
the sight would long deprive the prince of all happiness, 

“ Shortly afterwards, he would go forth again. The king issued an 
edict to the effect that when the prince should go abroad, the ground should 
be cleared and no impurity should come pear his route. He issued by the 


CHAPTER XXIr. 


199 


western gate of the town. The god transformed himself in a corpse which 
they were carrying out of the town. The relatives of the deceased followed 
the vehicle sobbing and weeping, complaining to heaven of their loss and 
eternal separation. The prince asked, “ What is this?” They replied, 
“ Ifc is a corpse.” The former again asked, “ And what is that ?” The 
attendants replied, “ It is the end. The soul hath departed. The four 
elements are now about to dissipate. The sensitive soul and the spirit, 
being no longer in equilibrium, the air passes away and entirely ceases, the 
fire is extinguished, and the body becomes cold. Air having departed first, 
and afterwards fire, the soul and the understanding disappear. The mem¬ 
bers elongate and stiffen. There is nothing more to recognise. At the 
end of ten days the flesh decays, the blood flows, the belly swells, putri- 
fies, and becomes fetid ; there is nothing there to take. The body is filled 
with worms which devour it. The nerves and the veins are destroyed by 
putrefaction ; the articulations are disjointed and the bones dispersed. The 
skull goes one way, the spine, the ribs, the arms, the legs, the feet and 
hands, each another. The birds that fly, the beasts that walk, assemble 
to devour them. Gods, dragons, demons, genii, emperors and kings, 
people, the poor, the rich, the noble, the plebeian,—none are exempt 
from this calamity.” The prince gave a long sigh, and said in verse, 
“ When I contemplate old age, sickness and death, I groan over human 
life and its instability ! It is even so in my own person. This body is a 
perishable thing ; but the soul hath no form. Under the false semblance 
of death, it is re-born! Its crimes and its good works are not dispersed. 
It is not a single generation that comprises its beginning or its end. Its 
duration is prolonged by ignorance and lust. It is thence that it obtains 
grief and joy. Though the body die, the soul perisheth not. It is not 
ether, it is not in the sea, it entereth not into mountains and rocks. 
There is no place in the world where there is exemption from death.” There¬ 
upon the prince turned his chariot and proceeded back to the palace, pon¬ 
dering sadly how all living beings are subject to old age, sickness, and death. 
He was so distressed that he eat none. The king enquired if the prince 
had been cheerful during his excursion. They answered that he fell in 
with a funeral and hath laid up sadness for several years. 

A little while, and again he desired to go abroad, and his beautiful cha¬ 
riot issued by the northern gate. The god again transformed himself and 
became a Samanean. He had the costume of the law, carried a begging- 
pot, and walked afoot, considering carefully and not casting his looks 
aside. The prince enquired, “Who is that man ?” They answered, “ A 
Samanean.” “And what is a Samanean?” “Samaneans are those who practice 


200 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


the doctrine and quit their houses, their wives, and their children. They 
renounce all tender desires ; they suppress the six affections; they ob¬ 
serve the precepts, and by quietude, having attained simplicity of heart, 
extinguish all impurity. He that practises simplicity of heart, is deno¬ 
minated Arhan. The Arhan is the true man. Sounds and colors cannot 
soil him. Rank cannot prevail with him. He is immovable as the 
earth. He is delivered from affliction and pain. Living or dead, he is 
master of himself.” The prince exclaimed, “ How excellent! there is no 
happiness like this!” He then pronounced a Gatha, signifying, “Oh 
grief! he who possesses this life of affliction is subject to the pains of old 
age, of sickness, and of death. The soul returns to the road of sin and 
experiences all manner of painful agitations. Nevertheless it may extin¬ 
guish all evils ; birth, old age, sickness, and death are driven away ; enter 
no more upon the circle of the affections and obtain eternal salvation by 
extinction.” Thereupon the prince caused his chariot to be turned, and 
went back so sad that he was unable to eat. The king enquired of his at¬ 
tendants, “ The Prince hath been once more abroad ; are his spirits more 
cheerful ?” The attendants answered—“ On the road he met a Samanean, 
who has redoubled his sadness and his contemplative disposition. He thinks 
neither of meat nor of drink.” At this the king became violently enraged, 
and raising his hands, smote himself. He renewed the interdiction against 
studying the doctrine, and commanded that if the prince again went abroad, 
every one of evil augury whom he should fall in with should be punished 
or put to death. He then convoked his ministers, and commanded them to 
deliberate on the best means of preventing the prince from going forth in 
quest of the doctrine.”* These then are what the Buddhists call the four 
realities recognised by Sakya Muni, when issuing from the gates of the 
town ; namely, old age, sickness, death, and the final dissolution of the 
atoms of the body. —Kl. 

(6) In the places where A i. —The Tao szu, called by Chinese authors 
A i, is in Sanscrit tapasvi, or the ascetic who leads an austere life. 

It is under this name that there is mention of his visit to the infant Buddha 
in a very curious inscription in the Magah language, found in a cave near 
Chittagong.f 

A i, or Tapasvi Muni, is, according to Georgi, called Trang srong tsien po 
(‘ the great man who acts according to the doctrine’) in Tibetan works. 
(This aged hermit is described in a legend which is scarce worth repetition 
here, as having recognised the birth of Buddha by super natural signs, and 

* Shin i tian, B. LXX. 

f As. Researches, 11. p. 383. 



CHAPTER XXII. 


201 


proceeded by flight from a distant solitude to the Royal palace. He there 
beholds the child, and described all the bodily perfections which were sup¬ 
posed to have distinguished the Buddha. The legend is extracted from the 
Shin i tian, B. LXXVIII. pp. 17—19 v. —J. W. L. 

(7) Brew the how. —The Japanese Chronology places this event in the 
year Kouei hai, which is the 60th of the XXXVth cycle, or 1018 B C. 

On the occasion of the marriage of Siddharta with the princess Kieou i, 
the king Pe tsing directed Yeou tho to intimate to the prince that he must 
publicly exhibit his rare talents. “ Yeou tho having received this order, 
proceeded to intimate to the prince that the king wishing to have immediate 
proof of the prince’s knowledge of the rites and of music, he must forthwith 
proceed to the theatre. The prince then proceeded with Yeou tho ( Uda ), 
Nan tho (Nanda,) Thia tho (Devadatta), A nan (Ananda), and others to 
llie numko. cf t;nn, Kom'ng l» tUoJr hands all the necessary utensils for the 
rites, instruments of music, and the requisites for the practice of archery. 
As they were about to issue from the town, there stood an elephant before 
the gate. The powerful Thiao tha happened to be in advance, and seeing 
the elephant on the road, struck him a blow with his fist, so that the 
elephant fell down stone dead in an instant. Nan tho immediately drew 
him aside out of the way. The prince, who followed, asked of his attendants 
“ Who has killed this elephant without an object ?” They replied “ Thiao 
tha killed him.” “ Who drew him aside ?” “ Nan tho.” The Bodhisattwa, 
endowed with a compassionate heart, dragged the elephant and raised him 
up outside the town. The elephant was raised from death and restored to 
life as before. Thiao tha having arrived at the theatre attacked the ath¬ 
letes ; not one of these could resist him. All the most famous wrestlers were 
overthrown and put to shame. The king enquired of his attendants, 
“ Who is this conqueror ?” They replied, Thiao tha. The king then said 
to Nan tho, “ Thou and Thiao tha must wrestle together.” Nan tho having 
received the command, closed with Thiao tha and handled him so that he 
became quite insensible. He recovered by degrees on being sprinkled with 
water. The king again asked who was the conqueror, and was informed 
that Nan tho was he. The king then commanded Nan tho to wrestle with 
the prince ; but Nan tho replied, “ My elder brother is like mount Sumeru, 
and I but a grain of mustard seed ; I am not his match,” and withdrew, 
excusing himself. Next came the trial of archery. First an iron target 
was placed at the distance of 10 li, and so on to seven targets. The 
shafts of the most renowned archers went no further than the first target. 
Thiao tha having drawn, shot beyond it and reached the second. Nan tho 
g urpassed this, and pierced through the third. The other archers being 


202 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


unable to shoot so far, the prince broke all the bows of those who had shot 
before him ; notone was equal to his strength. The king then said to his 
attendants, “ My ancestors possessed a bow which is now in the temple of 
the gods; go, bring it.’* They went to fetch the bow, which required two 
men to carry. No man in that assembly could lift it. When the prince 
shot with it, the twang of the string was heard forty li. The bent bow 
hurled the shaft so as to pass through the seven targets. He shot again, and 
the arrow having passed the targets pierced the earth and caused a spring 
of water to gush forth. At the third shot he pierced the seven targets and 
reached the mountains of the iron girdle. The whole assembly wondered 
at this unheard of prodigy. All who had come to partake in the sports 
were overcome, and returned confounded. There was still the King of 
Strong Men , who came last of all. His strength was extreme : nothing in 
the whole world could surpass his courage and ferocity. He r>ref ended that 
Thiao tha and Nan ilio were no matches for him, and that he would only 
measure his strength wdth the prince. All who had been conquered longed 
for some one to avenge them: they leapt for joy, and said to the King 
of Strong Men, “ Prince, as your strength is incomparable in the world, 
come and prove it, and bear off the victory.” Themselves, highly delight¬ 
ed, followed to assist in his engagement with the prince. Thiao tha and 
Nan tho animated the courage of the latter, and would themselves have first 
combatted the King of Strong Men, but they said, “ This is not human 
strength ; it is that of the demon of death. If thou triumph not, Oh prince, 
what disgrace will be yours!” The king learning this, deemed the prince 
too young, and from habitual sadness, too delicate. All who came to assist 
at the fight, spoke of the moment as come when the prince was to be van¬ 
quished. The King of Strong Men stamped the earth with his foot, and 
boldly raised his arms and stretched forward his hands. He advanced to 
seize the prince ; but in that instance the latter caught him and threw him 
to the ground. The earth trembled. The entire assembly dispersed, more 
confounded than before, and suddenly disappeared. The prince having thus 
obtained complete victory, the bells were rung, the drums beaten, and 
amidst vocal and instrumental music he mounted his horse and returned to 
the palace.”*—R. 

(8) Where Foe obtained the doctrine. —The Japanese chronology, entitled 
Wa Jean kivo to fen nen gakf oun—no tsoa places this event in the year 
Kouei wet, which is the 20th of the XXVII. cycle, corresponding with the 
4th of the reign of Mou wang of the dynasty of the Chou, and 998 B. C. 
Buddha was then in his tw T enty-ninth year. The Mongol history of Sanang 
* Shin i tian, B. LXXVII. pp. 21—23. v. 




CHAPTER XXII. 


203 


delsen states that “ in the year Piny of the Ape, Buddha attained his twenty, 
ninth year, and being before the truly holy tower, he, of his own free will 
embraced the ecclesiastic condition.”* 

The Fa yuan chu lin says ; “ The place where the Tatbagata (Jou lai) ob¬ 
tained the doctrine, is in the kingdom of Mo kie tho (Magadha) under a Phou 
thi tree ( Bodhi , Bauhinia scandens ), where a tower has been erected. Kl. 

(9) Five hundred sons of the Sdkyas.- m ^, Sdkya, is the name of 
that tribe or family of Sakya Muni, belonging to the Kshatria caste. Ac¬ 
cording to Buddhist traditions, this race descends from Ikswaku, a prince 
of the solar line and founder of the royal race of Ayodhya, or Oude. The 
name however does not appear in the genealogical lists of Hindus, as that 
either of a tribe or of a people. M. Ksoma de Koros has given the following 
extract on this subject from the 26th Vol. of that division of the Kdh ghyur 
named raDo.f “ They accordingly met, and elected one for their master and 
proprietor of their lands, and for the arbitrator of their controversies, saying 
to him ; “ Come, animal being, punish from among us those that are to be 
punished, and reward those with a gift that merit to be remunerated ; from all 
the products of our lands we will pay you a certain rate, accordingly to a 
rule. Afterwards on both sides, they did accordingly. Since he was carried 
(or honoured) by a great multitude of animal beings, he was called 
Mang-pos bkur-va; Sanscrit, Mahd Sammata, 
” Honoured by many.” 

Gautamas / At the time of Mahd Sammata , man was called by this name, 
” Animal being.” 

[The following five leaves (from 171—175) are occupied with an enume¬ 
ration of the descendants of Maha Sammata down to Karna ( 

at Potato GrM-h(?smi the harbour.) He had two sons, Gotama 

and Bharadhwaja (T. r Na-va-chan.) The former took the religious 
character, but Gotama being afterwards accused of the murder of a harlot, 
was unjustly impaled at Potato , and the latter succeeded to his father. He 
dying without issue, the two sons of Gotama inherit, who were born in a 
pr®ter-natural manner ; from the circumstances of their birth, they and their 
descendants are called by several names; as, Yan-lag-s,kyes ; 

(S. Angirasa.) <?} T 3rQ£]q dj; Nyi-mahignyen, (S. Surya Vansa,) Gautama, 
Bu-ram shing-pa, (S. Iskhwaku.) One of the 

* Geschichte derost Mongolen, p. 13. 

t J. A. S. Vol. II. p. 389. 

X The ancient Potato, or,the modern Taita, at the mouth of the Indus. 




201 riLGRlMAGE OF FA IT IAN. 

two brothers dies without issue, the other reigns under the name of Iksh 
WAKU. 

“ To him succeeds his son, whose descendants (one hundred) afterwards 
successively reign at Potala (sj/Q#*)) Gru-bdsin. The last of whom was 
QZj^l^V '• Ikshwaku Virudhaka, (or Vidchaka.) He 

has four sons^ and ^15- 

After the death of his first wife, he marries again. He obtains 
the daughter of a king, under the condition that he shall give the throne to 
the son that shall be born of that princess. By the contrivance of the chief 
officers, to make room for the young prince to succession, the king orders 
the expulsion of his four sons. 

“ They taking their own sisters with them, and accompanied by a great mul¬ 
titude, leave Potala (*1 'Q §*\), go towards the Himalaya, and reaching the 
bank of the Bhagirathi river 3)’^’$) settle there, not far from 

the hermitage of Capila the Rishi WV), and live 

in huts made of the branches of trees. They live there on hunting ; and 
sometimes they visit the hermitage of Capila the Rishi. He observing them 
to look very ill, asks them why they were so pale. They tell him how much 
they suffer on account of tlieir restraint or continence. He advises them to 
leave their own uterine sisters, and to take themselves (to wife) such as are 
not bom of the same mother with them. O great Rishi! said the princes, 
is it convenient for us to do this ? Yes, Sirs, answered the Rishi, banished 
princes may act in this way. Therefore, taking for a rule the advice of the 
Rishi, they do accordingly, and cohabit with their non-uterine sisters, and 
have many children by them. The noise of them being inconvenient to the 
Rishi in his meditation, he wishes to change his habitation. But they beg 
him to remain in his own place, and to design for them any other ground- 
He therefore marks them out the place where they should build a town : 
since the ground was given to them by Capila, they called the new city 
Capilavaslu. They multiply there exceedingly. The gods seeing their great 
number, show them another place for their settlement. They build there a 
town, and call it by the name of ^’11^ Lhas-bsian, (shown by a god.) 

“ Remembering the cause of their banishment, they make it a law, that no 
one of them hereafter shall marry a second wife of the same tribe, but that 
he shall be contented with one wife. 

“At Potala the king Ikshwaku Virudhaka, recollecting 

that he had four sons, asks his officers, what has become of them. They tell 
him, how for some offence llis Majesty had expelled them, and how they 



CHAPTER XXII. 


205 

had settled in the neighbourhood of the Himalaya , and that they have taken 
their own sisters for their wives, and have been much multiplied. The king, 
being- much surprised on hearing this, exclaims several times : Shdkya / 
Shakya ! Is it possible ! Is it possible! (or O daring ! O daring !) 
phod.pa, and this is the origin of the Shdkya name. 

“ After the death of Ikshwaku Virudhaka, ZJ 

A/V at Potato, succeeds his younger son rgyal-srid d glia, 

(lie that desires to reign). On his dying without children, the banished princes 
successively inherit. The three first have no issue ; the son of 

the fourth prince, is, Gnag-Vjog, His son is 

His descendants to the number of 55,000 have reigned at Capilavdslu. [An 
enumeration of the princes who reigned at Potato after Ikshwaku follows, 
which is indentical with the list in Sanskrit authorities; the names being 
translated into Tibetan according to their literal meaning ; as for Mahd Sam - 
mata, Many pos b kur-va, greatly honoured, &c.”] 

“ Here ends the narration of Mongalyana, Sha'kya approves and re¬ 
commends it to the priests.” 

We are indebted to M. E. Burnouf, for the subjoined extract from the 
Mahavansa, or History of the great family, a work of more than twelve 
thousand slokas, in the Pali language. It contains a history of the royal 
family from which Sakya sprung,—an exposition of his doctrine and wor~ 
ship,—and a list of such Indian and Ceylonese sovereigns as have most 
effectually contributed to propagate the religion of which he is the recog¬ 
nised head. This passage is in perfect conformity with the extract from 
the Kdh ghyur given above, and with the genealogy of Sakya Muni as detail¬ 
ed in Chinese works. 

(I here substitute Mr. Tumour's English version, for that given in Latin 
by M. Burnouf.—J. W. L.) 

“ There were eighty-two thousand sovereigns, the sons and lineal de¬ 
scendants of king Sihassaro,—the last of these was Jayaseno. These were 
celebrated in the capital of Kapillawatthu, as Sakya kings. 

The great king, Sihahanu was the son of Jayasdno. The daughter of 
Jayaseno was named Yasodard. In the city of Dewadaho there was a 
Sakya ruler named Dewadaho. Unto him two children, Anjano and Each- 
chana, were born. This Kachchana became the queen of king Sihahanu. 

To the Sakya Anjano the aforesaid Yasddara became queen. To Anjano 
two daughters were born, Maya and Pajapati; and two sons of the Sakya 
race, Dandapani and Suppabudilho. 


T 


206 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


To Sehahanu five sons and two daughters were born,—Suddhddano, 
Dhotodano, Sukkodana, (Ghattitddano) and Amitddano ; Amita and Pamita, 
those five, these two. To the Sakya Suppabuddho, Amita became queen. 
Subhaddakachchana and Dewadatta were her offspring. 

Maya and Pajapati both equally became the consorts of Suddhddano. 
Our Vanquisher was the son of the Maharaja Suddhodano and Maya. 
Thus the great divine sage was, in a direct line, descended from the Maha 
Sammabo race, the pinnacle of all royal dynasties.”* 

(10) A Yeou pho li,—(Upali in Sanscrit.) It signifies 1 superior head,’ and 
according to others, 1 he who is at hand and preserves It is the name of 
the ninth of the ten great disciples of Foe. While the latter was prince 
Yeou pho li was entirely devoted to his person, and had special charge of 
his affairs. After embracing monastic life, he observed the precepts and 
was a model to all. On that account he is called ‘ the first observer of the 
precepts.* —Kl. 

(11) Trembled in six ways. —Reference is here made to the great earth¬ 
quake which happened at the birth of Foe, and which was felt in all the 
Kshamas of the three thousand grand chiliocosms. The Buddhists admits six 
moments in an earthquake : the beginning of the motion, the augmentation 
of its intensity, the overflowing of the waters, the true quaking, the noise 
it occasions, and the vibration which follows.f 

The Buddhists assert that there are eight causes of earthquakes : 

1st. They are produced by water, fire and air. According to the sacred 
books, Jambudwip is 21,000 yojanas in length from north to south ; from 
east to west 7,000 ; and its thickness 68,000 yojanas. Beneath the earth 
to the depth of 40,000 yojanas is water ; beneath the water fire to the depth 
of 87,000 yojanas. Beneath the fire there is a bed of air, or wind, 68,000 
yojanas thick. Beneath this air, there is a wheel of steel in the centre of 
which are the sarira (reliques) of all the past Buddhas. If there be a great 
wind, it agitates the fire ; the fire, the water ; and the water communicates 
the motion to the earth. And this is the earthquake occasioned by water, 
fire, and air. 

2d. Earthquakes are occasioned by the entrance of the Bodhisattwas into 
the wombs of their mothers. When the Bodhisattwas, about to be incar¬ 
nate to become Buddhas, descend from the heaven Tushita, and proceed to 
occupy supernaturally the wombs of their mothers, there happen great 
earthquakes. 

* Mahawanso, translated by Tumour, p. 9. 

t lioua yan king fa sou, quoted in San Isang fa sou, B. XXVII. p. 24. 


CHAPTER xxn. 207 

3d. Earthquakes happen when Bodhisattwas issue from the wombs of 
their mothers. 

4th. Earthquakes happen when Bodhisattwas accomplish the law. The 
Bodhisattwas having quitted their homes to embrace monastic life, and hav. 
ing studied reason, become that pure intelligence without superior, named a 
Buddha being the earth then quakes with great violence, 

5th. When the Buddhas enter nirvana, there are also great earthquakes. 

6th. There are earthquakes when the bhikshus or religious mendicants 
desire to avail themselves of their supernatural faculties. The sacred books 
state that there are bhikshus endowed with great supernatural powers, and 
able to effect different kinds of metamorphoses. They can divide a single 
body into a hundred thousand others, and can again reduce these to a 
single one ; fly through space without obstruction from hill or rock ; plunge 
into water; and penetrate the earth. In all such cases there are great 
earthquakes. 

7th. The earth also quakes when the gods quit their primitive form and 
become masters of heaven ( Thian chu ). The sacred books state that there 
are gods who have great supernatural and infinite virtue. When their life 
is ended they are reborn elsewhere, and by the virtue and power of Buddha, 
they quit their previous form and become Indra ( Ti shy ) or Brahma {Fan 
cAa). 

8th. When there is a famine, or a great war about to happen ; for then 
the life of living beings, or their happiness must end ; since they fight and 
expose themselves to the sword.*—Kl. 

(12) The alms of a seng kia li.—Seng kia li, in Sanscrit Sanghati, is the 
mantle or cowl of Buddhist ascetics. (See page 93, note 10.) 

(13) Ni keou liu; the Chinese transcription of the Sanscrit Nyd* 

grodha, ficus indica.—Kl. 

(14) Destroyed the family of Sakyas.* —See note 36, Chap. XX. 

(15) The rank of Siu tho wan , in Sanscrit Srdtapanna: it is the 

name of the first class of the Sravakas, or hearers of Buddha. It means, 
according to the Chinese, “ those who are secured against the current (of 
the flux of worldly beings).’’ It is however translated in Tibetan r ,Ghioun 
dhou joughs bha (those who enter every where).—Kl. 

(16) Watched the labourers. —When the prince Siddharta was returning 
from his promenades towards the four gates of the town, “ one of his father’s 
ministers proposed to show him-the operations of agriculture, to divert his 
mind from the thoughts of the doctrine. All manner of agricultural imple- 

* Thseng y A han king, quoted in the San tsang fa soil , B. XLI. p. 26. 

T 2 


208 


PILCR7MAGE OF FA HIAN. 


merits were provided, ploughs, and whatever else was requisite ; and the atten¬ 
dants, accompanied by inferior officers, proceeded to a field and began to 
work. The prince sat under a Jamlu tree and watched them. In digging 
the soil they turned up some worms. The god Nan thi ho lo, by a novel 
metamorphosis, caused the ox who went along raising the sod, to make them 
fall back again ; a crow came to peek and eat them up. The God further 
made a toad appear, that sought out and swallowed them ; then a serpent 
with tortuous folds came from a hole and devoured the toad. A peacock 
stooped in his flight and pecked the serpent; a falcon next seized and de¬ 
voured the peacock ; finally a vulture fell upon the falcon and eat it up. 
The Bodhisattwa seeing all these beings mutually devouring each other, felt 
his compassionate heart moved, and under the tree where he was seated, 
attained the first degree of contemplation. The sun was shining in full 
splendor ; the tree curved its branches to shadow the person of the Bodhisat- 
twa. The king, pondering how in his palace the prince had never yet expe¬ 
rienced any sorrow, enquired of his attendants how he was ? “ He is even 

now, replied they, under the tree Jamlu, his whole heart fixed in contem¬ 
plation.” “ I will immediately see him,” returned the king ; u my thoughts 
are troubled ; for if he yields himself up to contemplation, how different 
will that be to his sojourn in the palace !” The king called for his beauti¬ 
ful chariot, and proceeded to the prince. In approaching the latter, whose 
body was resplendent with divine lustre, he beheld him protected by the 
curved branches of the tree. He alighted from his horse, saluted him, and 
returned with his suite. He had not yet reached the gates of the city when 
innumerable thousands having presented perfumes, the astrologers proclaim¬ 
ed the praises of the being whose life must have been immense. The king 
enquired the cause of these acclamations ; the Brahmacharis responded, 
41 To-morrow, oh great king, at the rising of the sun, the seven precious 
things will be delivered to you. Good fortune and felicity will make you 
the holy king l” At this moment the prince returned to the palace, ever 
exclusively occupied with thoughts of the doctrine and its purity, which 
required him to abandon lay life and retire to the woods and moun¬ 
tains, there to search deeply into subtle things and to practise contempla¬ 
tion.”—Kl.* 

(17) Bears the name of Lun ming.— In Chinese Buddhist works the 
name of the garden is transcribed Lung mi ni and Lan pi ni. It is explain¬ 
ed by Kia'i tho chhu, i. e. ‘ the place existent of itself without obstacle or 
hindrance/ I find the same term explained also Pho lo thi mon chha, in 
Sanscrit Paradhi mu/csha , that is to say, ' extreme eternal 

* Chian i tian, B, LXXVII. p. 28. 


CHAPTER XXII. 


209 


beatitude .’ Kiai thd properly signifies ‘ to help any one to avoid misfor¬ 
tune.' This garden is also called Wei ni. See p.—Kl. 

(18) The Lady. —In Chinese Fou jin; the title generally given to the 
mother of Buddha.—Kl. 

(19) Two kings of the dragons washed his body. —The following legend 
gives an account of the delivery of Maha Maya and the birth of Sakya. 
Muni. 

“ Mah& Maya went forth to walk : she passed through multitudes of 
people and seated herself beneath a tree. (This was an Asoka , Jonesia 
asoka .) The flowers began to blow and a brilliant star appeared. The 
Lady supporting herself by a branch of the tree brought forth the child 
from her right side. At birth the child fell to the ground and walked seven 
steps ; then stopt, and raising its hand, “ In the heaven and below the 
heaven," said he, “there is none honorable but I. All is bitterness in the 
three worlds, and it is I that shall sweeten this bitterness." 

At this moment the heavens and the earth trembled violently, and all the 
Kshmas in the three great chiliocosms were illuminated by a brilliant light. 
Indra, Brahma, the four kings of heaven, with all their suite and their sub¬ 
ject gods, the dragons, the genii, the Yakshas, the Gandharvas, the Asuras, 
came together to encircle and protect the new-born. Two brother-kings 
of the dragons, one named Kia to, the other You kia lo, caused a shower 
of water to fall on him, warm on the left side and cool on the right. Indra 
and Brahma held a celestial robe in which they wrapped him. The heavens 
showered down odoriferous flowers i the sound of musical instruments was 
heard ; and every variety of perfume was shed in profusion, filling the sur¬ 
rounding space. 

The Lady, holding the prince in her arms, ascended a chariot drawn by 
dragons and ornamented with streamers and drapery ; and accompanied by 
musicians returned to the palace. On hearing of the birth of the prince the 
king evinced great tokens of satisfaction (literally, he leapt for joy), and went 
forth to meet him followed by a great company of magistrates, subjects, brah- 
macharxs, officers, grandees, ministers and soldiers. As soon as the horses 
of the king touched the ground with their feet, five hundred treasures dis¬ 
played themselves, and an ocean of good deeds was produced to the infinite 
advantage of the age. The assemblage having arrived, the brahmacharis 
and the astrologers gave vent to their acclamations, and with one accord 
hailed the prince by the name of Si tha (Siddha , blessed). When the king 
beheld Indra, Brahma, the four kings of heavens, all the gods, the dragons 
and the genii occupying the entire space, his heart was struck with re¬ 
verence, and without being sensible of it, he dismounted from his horse and 

T 3 


210 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


paid homage to the prince. They had not yet returned to the gate of the 
city, and there was by the wayside the temple of a genius whom all the 
world adored. The brahmacharis and the astrologers with one voice pro¬ 
posed that the prince should be carried to do homage to the statue of that 
genius. They took him in their arms and bore him to the temple ; but all 
the genii immediately prostrated themselves before him. Then the bramah- 
charis and the astrologers pronounced the prince to be a genius, a being 
truly excellent, since he exercised such authority over the gods and genii. 
Every one therefore gave him the title of god of gods (Devatideva). All 
then returned to the palace. 

The gods caused thirty-two signs or presages of this event to appear. 
1st. The earth shook with a great earthquake. 2d. The roads and the 
streets were made clean of themselves, and foul places exhaled perfumes. 
3d. Withered trees within the boundaries of the kingdom were covered 
with leaves and flowers. 4th. Gardens spontaneously produced rare 
flowers and delicious fruits. 5th. Dry lands produced great lotuses equal 
in size to the wheels of a chariot. 6th. Treasures buried in the earth 
spontaneously displayed themselves. 7th. The precious stones and other 
rarities of these treasures shone with extraordinary brilliancy. 8th. Vest¬ 
ments and bed-clothing locked up in boxes were drawn forth, and dis¬ 
played. 9th. Streams and water-courses acquired a higher degree of 
limpidity and transparence. 10th. The wind ceased, clouds and fogs dis¬ 
persed, and the sky became pure and serene. 11th. The sky on all sides 
shed an odoriferous dew. 12th. The divine pearl of the full moon was sus¬ 
pended in the hall of the palace. 13th. The wax tapers of the palace were 
no longer required. 14th. The sun, moon, stars, and planets stood still. 
15th. Shooting stars appeared and assisted at the birth of the prince. 
16th. The gods and Brahma extended a precious canopy above the palace. 
17ih. The genii of the eight parts of the world came presenting precious 
things. 18tli. A hundred kinds of heavenly and savoury, meats offered 
themselves spontaneously (to the prince). 19th. Ten thousand precious 
vases were found suspended and filled with a sweet dew. 20th. The gods 
and the genii conducted the chariot of the dew with the seven precious things. 
21st. Five hundred white elephants, spontaneously caught in the nets, 
were found in front of the palace. 22nd. Five hundred white lions issued 
from the snowy mountains, and appeared bound at the gate of the town. 
23rd. The nymphs of heaven appeared upon the shoulders of the musicians. 
24th. The daughters of the kings of the dragons encircled the palace. 
25th. Ten thousand celestial virgins appeared on tbe walls of the palace 
holding chowries of peacocks’ tails in their hands. 26th. Heavenly virgins 


CHAPTER XXII. 


211 


holding in their hand urns filled with perfumes ranged themselves in 
space. 27th. Celestial musicians descended and began together a harmo¬ 
nious concert. 28th. The torments of hell were suspended. 29th. Vene- 
mous insects hid themselves, and birds of happy omen sang, flapping their 
wings. 30th. Sweetness and gentleness in a moment replaced the harsh 
and savage sentiments of fishermen and hunters. 31st. All the pregnant 
women in the kingdom gave birth to boys. The deaf, the blind, the dumb, 
the paralytic, the leprous, men in short affected with all kinds of maladies, 
were radically cured. 32nd. The anchorites of the woods came forth, and, 
bowing down, offered adoration.* 

An inscription in the Magah language engraved on a silver plate found in 
a cave near Chittagong, and published in the second Vol. of the Asiatic 
Researches, gives an account of the birth of Buddha in nearly the same 
terms. 

In the various Buddhist works written in Chinese, and recounting the birth 
of Foe, which I have had an opportunity of referring to, hig first words are 
variously reported ; according to the Ni pun king, he said, “ Amongst gods 
and men, and asuras, I am the most venerable.” A great Buddhist collec¬ 
tion published in China under the dynasty of the Ming, and of which I 
possess some fragments, gives a representation of his birth and baptism, and 
makes him say, “ In heaven and under heaven, I am the sole venerable one.” 
The Shy kia pon reports these words otherwise :—“ Among all gods and all 
men, I am the most venerable and the most exalted.” Lastly, the Foe siang 
thou wet, of which the latest edition was published in Japan, 1796, gives 
these words : “ Within the four cardinal points, the zenith and the nadir, I 
alone am most venerable.” 

The pseudo-^4i</aWc/i Beidhawi makes him say : 

“ God hath sent me as a prophet until other prophets shall come.”—Kl. 

(20) Where they accomplished the doctrine, that is to say, where from 
Bodhisattwa they became Buddha Tathagata, or accomplished. As for the 
Buddha Sakya Muni, he attained this dignity in a garden in the kingdom of 
Ma kia tho (Magadha) upon the bank of the river Ni lian, (Chinese authors 
confess their ignorance of the meaning of this name). The saint was seated 
under two Po thi trees (ficus religiosa ) and there became pure Intelligence . 
In this place is erected the second of the eight holy towers.f 


* Shin i tian, B. LXXVII. p. 15-17. 

f Fata ling tha king, quoted in the San tsang fa sau, B. XXXIII. p. 5. v. 


212 


PILGRIM AGE OF FA HI AN. 


The river Ni Han whose banks were for six years the theatre of austeri¬ 
ties to which Sakya Muni while yet a Bodhisattwa submitted in order to 
attain Buddhahood, is called in the itinerary of Hiuan thsang Ni Han chen 
and Ni lian chen na, (Pian i Han, B. LV. 25), and in Mongol works, 
Niranjara, Nirandzara. These are all transcriptions of the Sanskrit term 
Nilanchana , (in Pali Niranjanam ), which signifies sulphate of 
copper , also lightning. It is the name of a considerable torrent, which 
flows from the south-west, and which uniting with another, named the 
Mohana, forms the Phulgo. As the Phulgo, named Amanat in our maps, 
has a longer course than the Mohana, it may be regarded as the upper 
portion of the Phulgo. Its source lies in the wooded hills of the district 
of Ton in the province of Ramghur, in about 23-40 N. L. 

(21) To turn the wheel of the Law.—This is an allegorial expression 
implying that a Buddha has begun to preach the doctrine. The Fa yuan 
chu lin says,—“The place where the Tathagata turned the wheel of the 
law is not well determined. According to some it was in the retreat of 
silence ; according to others in the Deer-Park (near to, and north-east of 
Benares) ; or in the heavens and other places.”—Kl. 

(22) Where they overthrew the heretics.—We have already expounded 
(Ch. XVII. note 21), the doctrines of heterodox philosophers in the times 
of Sakya Muni. It was at Benares that the latter sustained the greater 
part of discussions with these doctors, who, named Ters in the Buddhist 
books of the Mongols, were the sworn enemies of the doctrine of Buddha. 
At the time of Sakya’s reformation, the sectaries of Siva felt themselves too 
weak to combat it; but the uncle of Sakya, placing himself at the head of 
the Ters, adopted their creed and sought to introduce it in the courts of the 
petty princes of India. Hoping to overthrow Sakya Muni, he summoned 
the six principal doctors of the Ters to oppose his nephew, at a great ban¬ 
quet at which all the princes were assembled : but they all grounded before 
his supreme understanding. The fifteen kings who were present upon thi g 
occasion, met together every day from the first to the fifteenth of the first 
month ; and the six doctors of the Ters strove at these meetings to vanquish 
Buddha by the instrumentality of magic. Unmoved by fear, the latter 
triumphed over them in a most glorious manner, by the force of his reason¬ 
ing, and his divine and supernatural power; so that at the end of the 
fifteen days, the leader of his adversaries was constrained to prostrate him¬ 
self before him and worship him. All those present rose up, and followed 
the example. By this last victory his fame and his doctrine were diffused 
throughout India; and in memory of the event his followers still celebrate 
the first fifteen days of each year.—Kl. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 


213 


(23) To ascend to the Heaven , Tao li. (See cli. XVII. note 2.) 

(24) To preach the Law in behalf of his mother. (See chap. XVII. 
note 3, and chap. XX.) 

The Mongol historian, Sanang Setsen, thus narrates how Sakya preached 
on behalf of his mother : “ Six days after the birth of the prince royal 
Khamouk tousayi butayhektchi (in Sanskrit, Sarvartha Siddha, he “who 
effects the salvation of all,”) his mother Maha Maya entered nirvana. He 
obtained in the year Ting of the tiger, the rank of Buddha ; and six years 
after in the year Ting of the ram, looking one day with the eyes of divine 
inspiration, he beheld his mother Maha Maya under a new incarnation in 
the region of the thirty-two tegri . Immediately he raised himself thither 
to guide her in the way of divine sanctity, and remained there ninety days 
preaching to her the law.”—Kl. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 


Kingdom of Lan mo.—The Dragon’s tank.—Adventure of the King A yu with 
the king of the dragons.— Elephants performing the service prescribed by the 
Law. 

Leaving the place where Foe was born, and proceeding easterly 
five yeou yansf you come to a kingdom called Lan mo. % The 
king of this country having obtained a fragment of the she li 3 of 
Foe, built a tower called the toioer of Lan mo.* By the side of 
this tower there is a tank, and in the tank a dragon who continu¬ 
ally watches the tower. When the king A yu 6 went forth from 
the age, he wished to break the eight towers to make eighty-four 
thousand others. He had already broken down seven towers and 
was coming with the same purpose to this, when the dragon ap¬ 
peared, and conducting king A yu to his palace, showed him the 
things used in the celebration of worship. Then said he to the 
king, “ If by thy oblations thou canst excell this, thou mayst 
destroy (the tower), and I shall not prevent thee.” The king 
A yu acknowledged that the objects appertaining to the celebra¬ 
tion were not those of the age, and returned. 




214 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


In this sterile and solitary place there are no men to sweep 
and to water; but you may there see continually herds of ele¬ 
phants which take water in their trunks to water the ground, and 
which, collecting all sorts of flowers and perfumes, perform the 
service of the tower. There were Tao sse ® from various countries 
who had come to perform their devotions at this tower. They 
met the elephants, and overcome with terror, concealed them¬ 
selves among the trees whence they witnessed the elephants per¬ 
forming the duty according to the Law. The Tao sse were great¬ 
ly affected to observe how, though there was no one to attend to 
the service of the tower, it was nevertheless kept watered and 
swept. The Tao sse thereupon abandoned their grand precepts, 
and returning became Sha mi. Of themselves they plucked up 
the grass and the trees, levelled the ground, and kept the place 
neat and clean. They exerted themselves to convert the king 
and induce him to found an establishment of ecclesiastics, as well 
as to erect a temple. There is at present there a habitation 
of ecclesiastics. This happened not long ago, and tradition has 
transmitted it to the present time. There are always Sha mi 
who administer at the temple. 

Proceeding thence easterly three yeou yan ,’ you come to the 
place where the prince sent away his chariot and quitted his 
white horse. 1 Here too have they built a tower. 

NOTES. 

(1) Five yeou yans, about six and a half French leagues. 

(2) A kingdom named Lan mo. —Hiuan thsang, who in the first part of the 
seventh century visited this country, calls it Lan mo, writing the latter 
syllable with a different character from that employed by Fa hian. He also 
found it desert, and gives nearly the same account of it as our traveller. 
We must seek for Lan mo somewhere to the north or north-east of the 
present town of Gorakhpore, and to the south of the hills which separate 
Nepal from the kingdom of Oude. The latter is celebrated as the country 
of Rama , of whose name Lan mo may possibly be the Chinese transcription ; 
nevertheless the two towns named Rampur, situated near where the Gunduk 
enters Bengal from Nepal, appear to me too remote from the Rohein or 
Rahini to be taken for the Lan mo of Fa hian.—Kl. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 


215 


Lan mo appears to me identical with the Ramagamo of the Pali Annals 
and the Mahawanso. It was one of the eight cities or kingdoms among which 
the reliques of Sakya were distributed ; and was the only one of these, as 
will be seen from the subjoined extracts, from which these reliques were not 
removed by Asoka ; circumstances which precisely correspond with the details 
alluded to by Fa hian. After narrating the particulars of the partition of 
Buddha’s reliques, the Annals proceed ; “ The reliques of the Eye (Buddho) 
consist of eight donani; seven donani are objects of worship in Jambudwipa , 
and one donan of the reliques of the supreme personage the Nagas worship 
in Ramagamo .” Again—“ the Ramagamian Kosaliyans built a thvpa at 
Ramagamo over the corporeal relics of Bhagawanand celebrated a festival.” 
The mention of the Nagas worshipping these relics at Ramagamo is another 

circumstance confirming this identification. 

In the Mahawanso we read : “ The pre-eminent priest, the then Maha- 
Kassapo, being endowed with the foresight of divination, in order that he 
might be prepared for the extensive requisition which would be made at a 
future period by the monarch Dhammasdko for relics, (by application) to 
king Ajatasattu, caused a great enshrinement of relics to be celebrated with 
every sacred solomnity, in the neighbourhood of Rajagaha ; and he transferred 
the other seven donas of relics (thither) ; but being cognizant of the wish of 
the divine teacher (Buddho), he did not remove the dona deposited at Ra¬ 
magamo. 

“ The monarch Dharamasoko seeing this great shrine of relics, resolved 
on the distribution of the eighth dona also. When the day had been fixed 
for enshrining these relics in the great thupa (at Pupphapura, removing them 
from Ramagamo), on that occasion the sanctified ministers of religion prohi¬ 
bited Dhammasdko. The said thupa which stood at Ramagamo on the 
bank of the Ganges, by the action of the current (in fulfilment of Buddha’s 
prediction) was destroyed. The casket containing the relic being drifted 
into the ocean, stationed itself on the point where the stream (of the 
Ganges) spread in two opposite directions on encountering the ocean, on 
a bed of gems dazzling by the brilliancy of their rays, &c.” 

From the foregoing I have little doubt of the identity of Ramagamo and 
Lan mo, and that instead of looking for the site of the latter to the north of 
Goruckpore, as Professor Wilson suggests, that it must be referred to the 
banks, not indeed of the Ganges (a name frequently applied to any large 
stream) but perhaps of the Gogra, or some other affluent of the Ganges. 
I may add that Rammo is mentioned in the Pali Annals as the name of 
one of the palaces of Sakya before his adoption of ascetic life.—J. W. L. 


21 6 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HI AN. 


(3) A fragment of the she li.—She li is the Sanscrit word sarira, which 
properly signifies corporeal , and hence the reliques of Buddha and other 
holy personages. The Mongols transcribe the word Sarie. As the bodies 
of the Buddhas, when these appear in the three worlds, belong only in ap¬ 
pearance to sansara or matter, their material remains form no portion 
of their immaterial and eternal essence. According to a passage of the 
Mahayana suvarnaprabhasa (in Mongol Allan gerel), translated by M. 
Schmidt, Routchiraketon, desirous of being instructed upon this point, thus 
addressed Sakya Muni; “ Most gloriously accomplished one! if accord¬ 
ing to what the four preceding Buddhas have taught, the most gloriously ac¬ 
complished one hath already attained nirvana before a sarira be left in the 
world, why say then the Sutras, ‘ when Buddha enters nirvana the sarira 
which he leaves in the world are venerated by gods and men with remem¬ 
brance and religious confidence ? by the veneration and ardent devotion with 
which men and gods have regarded the sarira of former Buddhas, inconceiv¬ 
able merits have been acquired. How does this quadrate with the assertion 
that these are not veritable reliques ? Would the most gloriously accom¬ 
plished Buddha deign to explain this contradiction, and unfold the truth 
of this matter ?” The most gloriously accomplished one then replied to 
Routchiraketon and the others present, saying, “ The doctrine that the most 
gloriously accomplished in entering nirvana leave sarira to the world, must 
be taken as provisionary (that is, intended for those who are not as yet en¬ 
lightened) ; for, oh son of illustrious descent! the Bodhisattwas Maha- 
sattwas teach that the truly Samaneans and the completely accomplished 
Buddhas become already indubitably and perfectly nirvana by the ten follow¬ 
ing qualities, Sec.” Hence we infer from these words of Sakya Muni that 
the sanctity of the sarira was intended only for the people.—Kl. 

(4) The tower of Lan mo, —This tower is not comprised among the eight 
divine towers spoken of in note 11, Chap. XX.—Kl. 

(5) When the king A yu. — This is Asoka , king of Magadha, great grand¬ 
son of Bimbasara, and grandson of Ajatasatru, in the eight year of whose 
reign Siddharta became Buddha. Asoka flourished a hundred years subse¬ 
quent to the nirvana of Sakya. The Japanese chronological work, Wa kan 
kwo to fen nen gakf oun-no tsou fixes the construction of the 84,000 towers 
built by A yu king of India ( Zen Zik), in the year of the XXXI cycle cor¬ 
responding with 833 B. C. 

The kings of Magadha had waged long wars against those of Anga, a 
country situated near Bauglepore on the lower Ganges. A short time be¬ 
fore the birth of Sakya Muni, the kings of Magadha became tributary to 
those, and continued so till the reign of Maha Fadina ( Padtna chenbo, in 


CHAPTER XXItl. 


217 

Tibetan, “ Ihe great lotus*'). Bimbasara or Vimbasara, son of Maha Padma, 
succeeded the latter, and bore the surname of Sremka. It was he who en¬ 
couraged his father to resist the payment of tribute. In the war that follow- 
ed he killed the king of Anga and added his country to that of his own 
family. At the time of the birth of Sakya he resided at Rajagriha.* 

The Mongol history of Sanang Setsen contains the following list of the 
predecessors of Asoka, king of Magadha ; but their names appear to be trans¬ 
lated from the Sanscrit. To recognise them I have given the translation 
of their names, as it was by this means that I arrived at the original. 

Veke Linkhea (the Great Lotus). This is the Mohd Padma pati Nanda, 
or Nanda the master of the great lotus, of the Bhagavat Purana, and the 
Padma tchenbo of Tibetan books. 

Tsoktsas d jirouktn (the Exalted Heart). He was contemporary with 
Sakya Muni and resided at Varanasi (Benares). This prince is omitted in 
the list of the Bhagavat Purana. According to Hindu authors Nanda , the 
Great Lotus, was killed by the Brahman Chanakya , who placed Chandra - 
gupta, of the Maurya family, upon the throne. Tibetan books from which 
extracts are given by M. Csoma de Koros, make Bimbasara or Vimbasara 
succeed his father Padma Tchenbo (the Great Lotus). 

Erdeni Sard (the Precious Moon). This is Chandragupla, the moon- 
protected, the Chandagutto of the Mahawansa. 

Margisiri aniogolanga oniledouktchi (Mdrgasira , ‘who conducts himself 
calmly*). The Bhagavata names this King Varisara (‘ aqueous essence*), 
and the Mahawanso Bindhusaro (‘essence of the drop of water’). The Chi¬ 
nese call him Phing sha and Pin po so lo, which is their transcription of 
Bimbasara. 

Arsalan (the Lion). This King is the Ajatasatru of Sanscrit books. In 
the eighth year of his reign Siddharta became Buddha. Ajatasatru reigned 
thirty-two years. 

Arban terghelou (the ten-seated). This I take to be the Dasaratha (ten 
chariots) of the Bhagavata. This book makes him second successor of 
Asoka, and not his predecessor. 

Ghasalang Oughei Nomunkhaghan (the king of the law who is without 
sorrow). This is Asoka (in Chinese A yu) who reigned one hundred and 
ten years after the Nirvana of Sakya Muni. Hiuan thsang transcribes his 
name A shou kia. f—Kl. 

Professor Wilson (Ariana Antiqua, p. 322) seems disposed to identify the 
A yu of the Chinese with the Azes of the Bactrian coins. lie remarks 
that the name in Arianian letters is Aya-sa, that the y in this case was 
# J. A, S, Vol. 1, p. 2. t Pian i tian, B. LXV, p. 11. 

V 


218 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


probably pronounced as j (a change which does occur in some Indian dia¬ 
lects), and that Aja is a genuine Hindu name. “ The Buddhists, says Pro¬ 
fessor Wilson, indeed seem to identify him ( A yu) with Asoka, grandson of 
Chandragupta, who lived, therefore, in the third century B. C., and of 
whom it is fabled that he erected eighty thousand monumental towers in 
various parts of India. This was certainly not the Azes of the coins, but 
there may have been some confusion either in the traditions picked up by 
the Chinese, or in the manner in which they have been transferred to Euro¬ 
pean languages.” It seems to me extremely improbable that a mistake 
of this kind regarding so famous a prince as Asoka could be made by a 
Buddhist priest in the age of Fa hian, when possibly the very name of Azes 
had ceased to be remembered. The more correct transcription of the name 
by Hiouan thsang removes all doubt upon the identity of A yu, Wou yu, or 
A shou kia with Asoka. 

The phrase “ went forth from the age” (sortit du siecle) I take to mean, 
“ abandoned heretical opinions and adopted Buddhism.”—J. W. L. 

(6) There were Tao sse. It is very remarkable that in the course of his 
narrative, Fa hian should so often speak of the Tao szu who in his time 
existed not merely in central Asia, but also in India. It would from this 
appear that the doctrines of that philosophical school were already diffused 
throughout the countries situated to the west and the south-west of China, 
We have already seen (Chap. X'XlI. Note 6,) that the Tao szu A i arrived 

at Kapila at the birth of Sakya Muni and drew his horoscope. The Tao szu 

v/ v 

are named in Tibetan bon bo and ^ ^ young dhroung 

pa (Sectaries of the mystical cross, in Sanscrit swastika). Their doctrine 
named ■ Bon tsids, was the ancient religion of Tibet, which 

prevailed until the general introduction of Buddhism in the 9th century. It 
still has a number of professors in Khamyul or Lower Tibet. They have 
several works expounding their doctrines, called by the Mongols Bom bo iin 
nom. Chen rcebs was their founder, 

(8) Sent away his chariot and quitted the white horse. —In the Maga 
inscription quoted above, it is said, “ Sakya quitted his palace having with 
him but one servant and a horse; he crossed the Ganges and arrived at Balu 
Kali, where, after having commanded his servant to leave him and to lead 
away his horse, he laid aside his armour.” This circumstance of Buddha 
having crossed the Ganges to arrive at that place, is contradicted by the 
Chinese translations of Buddhist works. Buddha arrived there from the 
palace of his father situated in the town of Kapila, and did not proceed till 
afterwards to the kingdom of Magadha which lay south of the Ganges. The 


CHAPTER XXIII. 


219 


place Culled Balu Kali in this inscription is named A nou mo in Chinese 
Buddhist works ; in Pali, Anumanam. 

The following is the legend that preserves this passage in the life of the 
Bodhisattwa: “ Siddharta having attained his nineteenth year on the 7th 
day of the 4th moon, made a vow to leave his home ; and the following night 
a brilliant star appeared and all the gods in space exhorted the prince to 
issue forth. At the same time Kieou i had five dreams which caused her to 
waken in great alarm. The prince enquiring the cause of her terror, she 
replied: “ I have seen in a dream mount Sumeru topple down; the full 
moon fall to the earth ; the light of my jewels to be suddenly quenched ; the 
knot of my hair to be loosened; and some one that offered me violence ! 
This is what has alarmed me and caused me to awaken.” The Bodhisattwa 
reflected that these five dreams referred to himself, and on the point of 
issuing from the palace he said to Kieou i, “Sumeru shall not fall; the 
moon shall continue to lighten us; the brilliancy of your pearls shall not 
be extinguished; the knot of your hair shall not be loosened ; nor shall any 
offer you violence. Sleep in peace and disturb not yourself on these grounds,” 
The gods then intimated to the prince that he must depart: but fearing that 
he would loiter or be detained, they summoned On sou man (the spirit of 
satiety) to enter the palace. Whilst all the inmates were asleep, Nan ti ho 
lo transformed all the chambers of the palace into tombs and Kieou i and 
the rest into corpses whose bones were scattered, whose skulls where carried 
to various places, whose entrails were putrid and green and fetid, and 
whose blood was extravasated and mingled with pus. The prince beholding 
the halls of the palace converted into tombs, and amongst these, birds of prey 
and foxes and wolves, birds that fly and beasts that walk ; seeing that all exist¬ 
ence is but illusion, change, dream, talk ; seeing how all returns to inanity, 
to which one must be mad to become attached, summoned his squire, and 
directed him forthwith to saddle his horse. The squire observed that the 
day had not yet dawned, “ Wherefore such haste to saddle the horse ?” The 
prince replied to the squire by this Gatha : “I take delight in the world 
no longer, squire ; detain me not! Let me fulfil my primal vow and eman¬ 
cipate myself from the sorrows of the three worlds.” Then went the squire 
to saddle the steed ; but the steed, prancing, prevented his approach. He 
returned to the prince and said, “ The horse cannot now be saddled.” The 
Bodhisattwa went thither himself and gently patting the horse with his 
hand repeated these verses: “Thou hast long been in life and in death; 
now thy labours are about to cease. Kian the (the horse’s name), only bear 
me away, and when I have obtained the law, I shall not forget thee.” Then 
was the horse saddled. Kian the reflected within himself, ‘ I have but to 

u 2 


220 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


strike the ground with my hoofs to cause a noise which shall reach those 
without.’ But four spirits restrained his feet so as to prevent them reach¬ 
ing the ground. Then would the horse neigh that his voice might be heard 
afar ; but the gods so dispersed the sound that it was lost in space. Tire 
prince then mounted his horse, and proceeded on his journey. Having 
reached the gate of the town, the gods, the dragons, the genii, Indra, Brah¬ 
ma, and the four kings of heaven assembled to guide him to the wilderness. 
The guardian spirit of the gates appeared, and prostrating himself before 
him, said, 41 The kingdom of Kia ’wei lo ’wei is the most flourishing and 
happy in the world ; why quit it ?” The son of the king replied with this 
gatha: “Birth and death are of long continuance: the soul travels the 
five paths. If my primal vows are fulfilled, I shall open the gates of nir¬ 
vana.” The gates of the town then opened spontaneously; he issued, and 
went away like one flying. 

He proceeded under the eyes of the gods for the distance of four hundred 
and eighty li y and arrived at the kingdom of A nou mo. There the prince 
alighted from his horse, threw off his precious vestures, his ornaments, and 
his tiara, and placing them upon Kian the , “ Take back, he said to his 
attendant, take back my horse to the palace, and thank on my part the 
great king and his officers.” “ I would follow thee, exclaimed Kian the , 
to furnish thee with what may be requisite. I can not return alone ; for if 
thou leavest thy horse and goest into the mountains, many shall be the wild 
animals found there, tigers, and wolves, and lions. Who beside shall pro¬ 
vide thee with food and drink, with water and boiled meat, and whatever is 
necessary for repose ? How shalt thou procure all there ? I must follow, 
I must accompany thee.” Kian the then made a long genuflexion; the 
tears flowed from his eyes ; he kissed the feet (of the prince). He no longer 
drank ; he no longer cropped the grass ; he wept, he groaned, he hesitated 
to leave the prince. The latter addressed him a new gatha ; “ The body, 
said he, is subject to disease. The vital energies weakened by old age sink 
into decrepitude and death. The quick and the dead cannot avoid sepa¬ 
ration. Wherein then consists the happiness of the world ?” Deeply afflict¬ 
ed, and weeping, Kian the then did homage at the princes feet; and form¬ 
ing his resolution, that gentle steed returned. He had not reached the royal 
town when at the distance of forty li he uttered a dolorons groan. The 
sound echoed through the kingdom, and every one exclained, “ The prince 
returns to maintain the state.” The people poured forth to meet him ; but 
they beheld the horse, led by the groom, returning empty! Kieou i, on 
seeing this, hastened from the palace to embrace the horse, weeping and 
lamenting her misfortune. The king witnessing the distress of Kieou i and 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


221 


of the five officers of the interior, restrained himself and said, u My son 
consults his true nature/’ But all the people of the kingdom, having be¬ 
held the sorrow of the king and of Kieou i, experienced the most lively 
sympathy. Kieou i dwelt on the thought of her loss night and day. The 
king having summoned his officers said to them, “ My eldest son has left 
me to dwell among the mountains ; let five of you by turns proceed and 
protect him,»watching with the utmost care whatever may come to pass.”* 
The Chinese and Japanese chronology Wa lean Jcwo to fen nen gakf oun 
no tsou , places the flight of Siddharta from his paternal house in the year 
Y hai, the 12th of the ^XVIIIth cycle : that is in the year 1006 before 
our era.—Kl. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


The Tower of the Charcoal.—Town of Kiu i na kie.—River Hi lian. 

Thence proceeding four yeou yan to the eastward, you come 
to the Tower of the Charcoal .' There is there also a seng Ida lan . 

Going thence again to the east the distance of twelve yeou 
yan, you come to the town of Kiu i na kief It is to the north 
of this town betwixt two trees* on the bank of the river Hi lian k 
that the Illustrious of the Age, his face turned to the north, 
entered ni houanf There, where Siu po* long after obtained the 
law, and where they adored for seven days T in his golden coffin 
the Illustrious of the Age ; there where the hero that bears the 
diamond sceptre 8 let go the golden pestle, and where the eight 
kings divided the she li f in all these places they established 
seng kia lan, which exist to this day. 

In this town the population is scattered and not numerous. 
There are but ecclesiastics and families of the commonalty. 

Thence proceeding south-west the distance of twenty yeou yan, 
you see the spot where all the Li chhe 10 wished to follow Foe 

? Pian i tian, B. LXV. p. 11. 
f Chian i tian, B. LXXVTI. p. 28. 

u 3 


222 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HI A N. 


when he entered ni houan, hut we%e not permited by him ; the 
place where they detained Foe and would not let him go; that 
where Foe prepared a very deep ditch that could not be crossed ; 
the place where Foe inferred a happy omen from his begging 
potand that where he sent back his family to raise a stone 
pillar upon which there was an inscription. 1 * 

NOTES. 

(1) The Tower of the Charcoal. —According to the narrative of Hiouan 
thsang, this tower was more than thirty chang or Chinese toises high. It was 
situated in a forest of Indian fig-trees and covered the spot where the body 
of Foe was burnt, and where the earth was intermingled with ashes and 
charcoal. In the kia lan attached to this tower the thrones of the four 
preceding Buddhas were to be seen.—Kl. 

The tower here spoken of is mentioned in the Lalita Vistara , where after 
describing the cremation of the Buddha and the distribution of his reliques 
among eight different tribes, the narrative proceeds to state that the urn or 
vessel in which the relics were first deposited was afterwards given to the 
brahman who acted as mediator between the different parties. “ He took 
with him this vessel to his own city, called the city of Baivotang Nyampa, 
and built a chaitya, and paid all sorts of respects to the relics of Chomdan¬ 
das, and in honor of them established a great festival. Afterwards a young 
brahman called Nyagrodha , requested the champions of Kusha that they 
would cede to him the ashes or coals of the fire on which the dead body of 
Chomdandas was burned. Having obtained his request, he built in the 
village of Nyagrodha trees a Chaitya called that of the Coals; and paying 
all sorts of reverence and worship to them, he established a great festival in 
honor of them. There were now in Jambudwipa ten Chaityas of the relics 
of Chomdandas ; eight were styled those of the remains of his body; one 
that of the Urn or Vessel and one that of the Coals.”* We have no men¬ 
tion in Fa hian of the tower of the Urn. The brahman who erected the 
tower over the Urn is called Dono in the Pali annals; and the village 
of the Tower of the Coals, Pipphalawano. —J. W. L. 

(2) The town of Kiu i na hie. —Hiuan thsang transcribes more correctly 
the name of this town Kiu shi na kie lo, Kusinagara ), which 

signifies the ‘ town of the grass kusa* ( Poa cynosuroides) . This accords 
perfectly with the Tibetan translation. vTsa m Ichogh grong, u the town 
* Csoma de Korbs, As Pes, XX, 316, 317, 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


223 


of the excellent plant.” M. Csoma de Kbros, who quotes the latter as the 
name employed in the Kahyhyur , places the town in question in the district 
of Kamrup in Assam ;* but the narratives of Fa hian and Hiouan thsang 
will not admit of a locality so far east. Kusinagar must have been situated 
on the eastern bank of the river Gunduk. Wherever it may have been, it 
cannot have been far from the kingdom of Magadha.—Kl. 

The scene of Sakya’s apotheosis is erroneously placed in Assam by Tibe¬ 
tan authors. Professor Wilson has with much plausibility suggested Kusia, 
on the road betwixt Bettiah and Gorakhpur, as the modern representative of 
the ancient town ; an identification countenanced by the existence of certain 
evidently Buddhist remains in its neighbourhood, as well as by the corre¬ 
spondence of its position with the Chinese narrative. The remains are thus 
described by M. Liston :+—“ Should a traveller happen to encamp at Kusia, 
a village situated about 5 kos from the Chapra boundary of the Gorakhpur 
district, and on the road joining the two stations, it may so happen that his 
eye may alight on a pyramidal-looking mound of bricks about half a mile 
S. W. of the Terai, over which spreads a magnificent banyan tree. Should he 
be of an inquisitive turn, bis natural enquiries will be, what is it, and who 
has the fame of being its builder ? He will be informed that it once belong¬ 
ed to Mata kuanr; a somewhat less ruined brick pyramid with other brick 
mounds about three quarters of a mile to the west of the object that first 
caught his observation, will probably be pointed out as Mata Kuanr s fort; 
and if it should be observed that our traveller’s curiosity is thus excited, he 
will be told that Mata Kuanr himself lies petrified at but a short distance 
from his former abode. A walk of about a couple of furlongs from the ruins 
called the fort, will bring our traveller to the side of a colossal alto-relievo 
of very respectable execution, surrounded by much carved work, many of the 
figures of which are well designed and cut, though others of them are of an 
exaggerated and outre character ; but the features of almost all of the images, 
as well as those of the principal idol, have been destroyed with an unsparing 
hand, and with a care worthy of a better cause.” The author then proceeds 
to describe these mutilated sculptures and the local worship still paid to them ; 
and adds, “ Tradition relates that Mata Kuanr , on the arrival of a Musalman 
army to attack his fort, feeling unable to cope with the force arrayed against 
him, caused his family and dependents to descend into a well, and he himself 
having become a stone, lay down on the mouth of it to conceal it from his 
enemy, and ensure that no disgrace should befal the objects of his affec¬ 
tion.” Prinsep, to whom drawings of these objects were sent, pronounced 
them decidedly Buddhist, one being a statue of Sakya; and conjectured 
* J, A, S, Vol, I. p. 5. t J' A. S , Vol. VI. p. 477. 


224 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


that Mata Kunar was a corruption of Mrita Kumar a, 11 the defunct Kumd- 
ra.” Wilson restores however the popular reading, ‘ the dead prince/ and 
applies the expression to the prince and prophet Sakya Sinha. But this 
ascription can hardly be admitted, as the term prince is never applied to 
Sakya after his entrance upon religious life ; and when used, the expression 
is, I believe, rajaputra, and not kunar. I incline to think the story of the 
Musalman foray may have some historical foundation, and that with the 
usual addition of accessory fable, it superseded the older legends which 
these remains embodied. The site and the legend are well worthy of a more 
particular examination with particular reference to their surmised connection 
with that last scene in the life of Sakya. In the meantime our decision 
upon this identification must be suspended, as there are difficulties attending 
it which are not very easily explained. For instance, Hiouan thsang, as 
will be seen in note 4, states that Kusinagara was on the eastern side of the 
Gandak, while the modern Kusia lies many miles to the west of that river. 
I am not without hopes that this point will be cleared up by the researches 
of my friend Capt. Kittoe, who in a letter just received mentions the dis¬ 
covery of the ruins of an extensive town to the north of Bettiah, consisting 
of mounds, &c. and a pillar with an inscription. There are ruins also near 
the Gandak. These may be the site of Kusinagara, although the name may 
have migrated, as not unfrequently happens, to another locality.—J. W. L. 

(3) Betwixt two trees. —In Chinese So lo, in Sanscrit Sala (Shorea 
roliusta). —Kl. 

(4) The River Hi lian.—Hi lian appears to me undoubtedly the San¬ 
scrit word hiranya , gold. In ancient Buddhic works written in 

Chinese, this river is called Shi lai nafa ti, Swarnavati, explain¬ 

ed to mean, having gold. Hiuan Thsang indeed names this river A chi to fa 
ti, which he explains * unparalleled in the world/ and assures us that the 
ancient orthography of the name, A li lo pho ti , is faulty. It is, as I have 
said, above the Gandak. In the Fo siang thou, ’wei, which is a collection 
of images relative to Buddhism, published in Japan, this river is called Pho 
ti ho. —Kl. 

Is the Hi lian of our pilgrim the Erannoloas of the Greeks ? The iden¬ 
tification of this river has occasioned much discussion among the learned, 
as forming for a long time the principal element in determining the position 
of Palibothra. We have now however so much better data for deciding the 
latter point that the former has become of comparatively little consequence, 
and the problem is reversed, namely to identify the river from the well as¬ 
certained position of the town. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


225 


Sir W. Jones was the first to suggest the identity of the S6n and the 
Erannoboas, chiefly I believe from the epithet Hiranyabd.hu being ap¬ 
plied to the former river in Sanscrit books. The same hypothesis was 
adopted by Wilford and others. The principal difficulty attending this edenti- 
fication is the distance of the Son from Palibothra which according to Megas- 
thenes, as quoted by Arrian was situated near the confluence of that stream 
with the Ganges : j ueyiarriv 5e iroAiv ’I vZoiaiv eTvai UaXlfifioOpa Ka.Xeopevir\v 
ev rrj Tlpacr'uov yrj, fva at avufioAai etcrt rod f e ’Epavvofi6a TroTa/xov kcu tov 
rdyyeca. This objection has been combatted with learning and ingenuity by 
Mr. Ravenscroft, who in an able article in the Journal of the Asiatic Society 
Vol. XIV. p. 137, endeavours to prove that a former bed of the S6n ran 
nearer to Patna than the present course of that river. It would exceed the 
space I can afford to enter at length upon this question ; but the reader will 
find Mr. R.’s interesting paper well worthy of perusal. He concludes from 
a careful investigation of the neighbouring country that the S6n, or one of its 
principal branches disembogued at Bakipur, a few miles west of Patna, and 
thus in some measure removes the difficulty arising from present course of 
that river. Mr. R.’s reasoning would be sufficiently satisfactory were it not for 
the name given by o^r pilgrim to the Gandak ( Hi lian , the Chinese transcrip¬ 
tion of Hiranya), and that given in Pali Buddhistical works, Hirannawaitiya , 
which seem to give this river equal claims, etymologically , to be identified 
with the Erannoboas, while its position is unexceptionable. This conjec¬ 
ture is not new however ; for I find on referring to Schmieder’s edition of 
Arrian published in the last century, that Mannert had suggested the same 
identification: non procul a Patnis ruinse veteris urbis repertse sunt cui 
nomen Patelputer , vel Pateliputra , et haec quidem urbs Palimbothra (Pali¬ 
bothra, Palibotra) veterum esse videtur, * * * Hoc solum obstat, ab Arri- 
ano Erannoboam vocari magnum fluvium , qui ibi non invenitur; sed erro- 
rem in Arriano esse arbitrator Mannert, vel esse intelligendum fluvium 
Ganduk ,” &c. After all the question is more curious than important, and 
no fact of any consequence is dependent upon its solution. J. W. L. 

The scene of Sakya Muni’s death is thus described by Hiuan thsang : at 
the distance of three or four li to the north-west of the town ( Kiu shi na. 
hie lo ) you cross the river A chi to fa ti. Near the western bank there is 
a forest of so lo trees. These trees are a species of hou ; their bark is of 
a greenish white, and their leaves are very glossy. Four very fine ones are 
to be seen planted together on the spot where the Jou lai (Tathagatha) died. 
In a great chapel erected in that place is a representation of the nirvana of 
the Jou lai. His face is turned to the north and hath the appearance of 
one slumbering. Near by is a tower built by the king A yu (Asoka). The 


226 


PILGRIMAGE OF 1 A IITAN. 


foundations are injured, but the tower still stands about two hundred 
Chinese toises high. Before the tower is a pillar of stone erected in com¬ 
memoration of the death of the Jou lai , on which is inscribed the recital, 
thus, “Buddha, aged eighty years, entered nirvana at midnight the 
15th day of the moon of Bysakh (Fei she khiu ) ;” that is the 15th day of the 
third month. There are some authors who say that Buddha entered nirva¬ 
na at midnight on the 8th day of the moon of Kartika ( Kia la ti kia) which 
would be the 8th day of the ninth moon. As for the year of his nirvana, 
accounts differ. Some make it 1200 years ago, others more than 1300, 
others again more than 1500. There are some too that assure us that this 
event occurred about 900 years ago, and that one thousand are not yet ful¬ 
filled since.”* Hiuan thsang wrote about the year 640 A. D. These calcu¬ 
lations therefore place this event iu 560, 660, 860, and even 360 B. C. 

The Chinese legend given by Deshauterayes, gives the following account 
of the death of Foe : “ Foe being seventy-nine years of age, after conversing 
with his disciples and the assembly as one delivering his testament, laid down 
on his right side, his back turned towards the east, his face to the west, his 
head towards the north, and his feet to the south, and became extinct. At 
the same moment many miracles occurred ; the sun and the moon lost their 
light; the inhabitants of the heavens groaned and exclaimed ; “ Oh grievous 
event! by what fatality hath the sun of wisdom become extinct! Must all 
indeed lose their good and true parent, and the heavens be deprived of the 
object of their veneration !” The whole assembly was melted in tears. The 
body of Foe was placed upon a litter, but when they were about to carry it 
to the pile, they were unable to lift it, when one amongst them called out in 
the attitude of prayer, “ O Foe ! thou dost equalise (or identify) all things, 
admitting no distinction among them ; thou makest equally happy both men 
and the denizens of heaven.” When he had thus spoken the litter rising 
high of its own accord, entered the town of Kiu shi by the western gate and 
issued by the eastern; again entered by the southern and re-issued by the 
northern gate. It then made seven times the circuit of the town, the voice 
of Foe being audible from the litter. All of the inhabitants gathered at the 
funeral ceremony, all in tears ; and a week having thus passed they carried 
the body of Foe on a magnificent litter, washed it with perfumed water, and 
wrapped in rich coverings; then replacing it on its original litter, they pour¬ 
ed upon it perfumed oils. A lofty pile was prepared of odoriferous wood, 
upon which the litter was deposited ; fire was applied to the pile, but it 
suddenly became extinguished. At this prodigy the whole assembly wept 
bitterly, and awaited till some holy personage should come to finish the 
* Finn i tian , B. LXXV. p. 1 v. and 2. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


227 


ceremony. As soon as such had arrived, the litter opened spontaneously and 
disclosed the feet of Foe encircled with a thousand rays. Again they appli¬ 
ed the torches to the pile ; but still the fire took not. That holy personage 
then explained that the litter could not be consumed by the fire of the three 
worlds, and hence, a fortiori, not by material fire. He had scarcely spoken 
when the pure fire of fixed contemplation ( San mei; in Sanscrit Samddhi) 
issuing from the chest of Foe through the midst of the litter, inflamed the 
pile, which at the end of seven days was wholly consumed. The fire being 
extinguished, the litter appeared entire without even the calico and the rich 
coverings with which the body was enveloped being in any degree injured." 

Dr. Siebold has published in his Archives du Japan, a reduced copy of a 
celebrated image representing the nirvana of Foe, preserved in the temple 
of Too fuk si (Toung fou szu) at Miyaho. It was executed by the celebrat¬ 
ed Japanese painter, Teo den tsou. Sakya Muni is there represented in his 
ecclesiastical dress, placed upon a catafalque, betwixt the two holy trees, 
with his head reclined upon a lotus flower. He is surrounded by a numer¬ 
ous group of men and animals, among whom a general sadness pervails * 
grief is expressed in all their countenances. The apostles and disciples 
surround most immediately the bier of their master, and are recognised by 
their shaven heads. The Bodhisattwas have the forms and figures of women, 
and the gods appear with their ordinary attributes.—Kl. 

As the learned French commentators have supplied so few particulars of 
Sakya’s death and cremation, no doubt from the want of the original sour¬ 
ces of information since made available, the insertion of these in the pre¬ 
sent place may add interest to this part of our pilgrim's narrative and be 
not unwelcome to such of my readers as have not the requisite works of 
reference at hand. Full details of thes events are preserved in the body of 
Buddhist scripture, and particularly in the Lalita Vistara, of which M. 
Csoma de Koros has given an abstract in the Asiatic Researches, Vol. XX ; 
but the most interesting account is that taken by the Honourable Mr. Tur- 
nour from the Parinibbdnansuttan of the Mahawaggo in the Dighanikayo 
of the Suttapitako, from which principally I draw the following particulars. 

The illness which eventually terminated the carrier of Sakya overtook 
him while holding wasso at Belugamako, a village near Vaisali. The nar¬ 
rative proceeds to state that he still retained the full possession of his men¬ 
tal faculties, and summoned around him his disciples, bearing up under 
the trial with fortitude and maintaining his opinions and professions 
in regard to the transitory nature of the matters of this life. From this 
sickness (which appears to have been a diarrhoea) he partially recovers how¬ 
ever ; is able to sit up in his pulpit and to preach upon a variety of subjects 


228 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


in the chaityas of Vaisali. He there explains that it is in the power of any 
Buddha by his four miraculous attributes, to prolong his existence indefi¬ 
nitely if duly entreated there to while sojourning in certain holy places which 
he names, amongst which is the chaitya at Vaisali. Maro (death) inter¬ 
poses his influence and prevents Ananda from comprehending the exposition 
made by the Buddha, though twice repeated. Ananda retires disconcerted 
and seats himself at the foot of a tree. He had hardly departed when the 
impious Maro approaches Buddha and entreats him to realize his parinib- 
banan then. Buddha replies that his parinibbanan will take place in three 
months, and announces his resignation of all connection with this transitory 
state of existence in the following hymn : “Having voluntarily overcome 
his desire for this life, the Muni has vouchsafed to relinquish all that is 
transitory, connected either with his human or his divine essence, casting his 
existence from him, like a victorious combatant who divests himself of 
armour.” On his uttering this announcement the earth quakes, and Ananda 
hastens to Buddha to learn the cause of the phenomenon. The latter ex¬ 
plains the causes of earthquakes, (as already detailed in a foregoing note) 
and informs Ananda of the interview he had with Maro formerly, as well as 
on that day. The Suttan then proceeds : 

“ On this explanation being afforded, the venerable Anandothus addressed 
Bhagawa : “ Lord Bhagawa, vouchsafe to live a kappo : for the welfare of 
multitudes, for the happiness of multitudes, out of compassion for the world, 
and for the welfare and happiness of the dewd as well as men : O Sugato, 
live for a kappo ” “ Enough Anando, importune not Tathagato. Anando, 

the time is now past for making this entreaty of Tathagato. Anando, how¬ 
ever, made the same entreaty a second and a third time ; (and Buddho said) 
Anando, dost thou believe in the Buddhohood of Tathagato ?” “ Yes, lord.” 
“ Then, Anando, why dost thou now even to a third time afflict Tatha¬ 
gato with unavailing importunity ?” ** Lord, from thyself have I heard, 
and by thyself have I been taught, saying : Anando, to whomsoever is fully 
vouchsafed the sanctification of the four Idhipada should he desire it, he 
may live a kappo, or any part of a kappo; and unto Tathagato also is 
vouchsafed those four Idhipada .” “ Dost thou, Anando, believe therein ?” 

“Yes, lord.” “Then, Anando, in that case, the neglect and the fault 
is thine—for it occurred not to thee, when that revelation was made by 
Tathagato, in the most solemn and public manner (at the Chepdla chetiyo), 
to comprehend the same, and to implore of Tathagato, saying : Bhagawa, 
vouchsafe to live for a kappo , for the welfare of multitudes, for the hap¬ 
piness of the dewa as well as men : O, Sagato, live for a kappo . What 
dost thou now, Anando, still impoitune Tathagato ? Tathagato has rejected 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


229 


\hy prayer twice : could he grant it on the third application ? In this 
matter, Anando, most assuredly, both the neglect and the fault is thine.” 

Buddho then reminds Anando of the various places, all which he names, 
where he had made this revelation to him before, and finally tells him that 
having announced that he is to die in three months that destiny cannot be 
altered. They next repair to the Kutagara edifice, and Buddho delivers a 
solemn charge to the priesthood, which he concludes with these words : 

“ Bhikkhus, I am now addressing you (for the last time) : transitory 
things are perishable ; without procrastination, qualify yourselves (for nib - 
banan). At no distant period unto Tathagato parinibbanan will be vouch¬ 
safed. Within three months from this day, by death Tathagato will realize 
nibbanan . 

** Thus spoke Bhagawa, and having so delivered himself, the divine teacher 
of happy advent again spoke saying : My age has attained the fullest matu¬ 
rity : the remnant of my existence is short: I shall depart, separating (my¬ 
self) from you, and having earned the salvation of my own ( atta ) soul. 
Bhikkhus, unremittingly embuing your minds with faith, lead the life of the 
righteous; and keeping your thoughts under entire subjection, carefully 
watch over the aspirations of your minds. Whoever steadfastly adheres to 
the tenets of this dhammo, escaping the eternity of transmigration, will 
achieve the extinction of misery.” 

Next day Buddha enters Vaisali, and discourses on sundry subjects. 
Thence he proceeds to Bhaganagaron and delivers to the priesthood his 
discourses, called Pade'sa Sullani, in which he inculcates moderation upon 
his audience and the propriety of examining dispassionately and with refer¬ 
ence to his wine'yo and sutto (vinaya , sutra ) any new doctrine set forth, 
and to adopt or reject it accordingly. 

He then visits Patvd , tarrying in the Ambawano or mango grove, belong¬ 
ing to a goldsmith called Chundo who waits on Buddho, and invites him 
as the Wesali courtesan had done, to a repast the next day at his house in 
the city of Paiva, On reaching the goldsmith’s house Buddho thus ad¬ 
dressed him : Chundo, if any pork is to be dressed by thee, with it only 
serve me : serve to the priests from any other food or provision thou mayest 
have prepared. Chundo having replied : Lord, be it so : Bhagawa again 
calls him, and says, Chundo, if any of the pork prepared by thee should be 
left, bury it in a hole—for Chundo, I see not any one in this universe, 
though inhabited by dewos, maros and brahmos, with their hosts of ascetics, 
brahmans, dewos and men, excepting Tathagato, who would digest it, if he 
ate the same. Chundo accordingly buries the remnants of the pork. 

Having gratified, edified, and comforted his host, Buddha departs for 


X 


230 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAH. 


Kusinara , the destined spot of his parinirvana ; an event fast approaching 
from the predicted effects of the pork. Having reached the Uppawattana 
grove of sala trees on the further bank of the Hirannawattiya river, in a 
very debilitated state, he^ desires Ananda to prepare his bed between the 
Sdla trees, on which he lays himself down (like a lion, says the Lalitu 
Vistara) with his head turned to the north. Flowers are spontaneously 
showered down by the trees upon him ; and the air is filled with hosts of 
de'vas making the air ring with celestial music, and scattering flowers and 
incense. Buddha points out these supernatural recognitions of his Buddha- 
hood, and enjoins upon Ananda the stedfast observance of dharma as equal¬ 
ly acceptable to him. Sundry injunctions are given by Buddha to his fol¬ 
lowers ; and amongst others that his body should be burnt with all the 
honors of a Chalckawatti Raja, which he thus describes : “ They wind a new 
cloth round the corpse ; having wound it with a new cloth, they enclose it 
in a layer of floss cotton ; having encased it in a layer of floss cotton, they 
bind that with another new cloth. Having in this manner enclosed a Chak- 
kawatti raja’s corpse, in five hundred double layers (of cotton and cloth) 
and deposited it in a metal* oil-chaldron, and covered it with another 
similar vessel, and having formed a funeral pile with every description of 
fragrant combustibles, they consume the body of a Chakkawatti raja ; and 
for a Chakkawatti raja they Jbuild the thupo at a spot where four principal 
roads meet. It is in this manner, Anando, they treat the corpse of a Chak¬ 
kawatti raja. Whatever the form observed in regard to the corpse of a 
Chakkawatti raja may be, it is proper, Anando, that the same form should 
be observed in regard to the corpse of Tathagato.” 

Ananda then entreats the Buddha that he would not realize his parinirvana 
at Kusinara, which was an insignificant and branch town, but at one of the chief 
cities, Champa, Rajagahan, Sawatthi, Sdhetan, Kosambi , or Baranasi. Bud¬ 
dha forbids the mention of such a proposition, and directs him to summon the 
Malla princes of Kusinara to witness the parinirvana of the Tathagato to be 
realized in the last watch of that night. These being assembled and introduc¬ 
ed, “ Bhagawa then thus addressed the beloved Anando : Anando, can there 
be, or has there been any precept of mine, not imparted unto thee by Sattha 
(the divine teacher) ? No, Sattha there can have been none. If there be 
none such, Anando, be it understood that whatever dhammo or wineyo may 
have been propounded or established by me for thee, the same, after my 
demise, is to stand in the stead of the divine teacher unto thee. Anando, 
although the bhikkhus are now in the habit of addressing each other (indis¬ 
criminately) with the appellation awuso, after my death this practice must 
* The Atthahatha requires this word to be rendered gold. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


231 


too longer prevail among you. By a senior bhikkhu, a junior bhikkhu 
ought to be addressed by the appellation dwuso,* preceded either by his 
family or personal name. By a junior bhikkhu an elder bhikkhu ought to 
be addressed bhantt (lord), or ayasma (venerable). Let no well-disposed 
priesthood reject any of my precepts, whether they be trivial or important. 
Anando, after my death, let the brahmadando penalty be awarded to the 
bhikkhu Chliunno. 

“ Lord, what is the Brahmadando ? Anando, whatever any bhikkhu may 
have desired, that Chhunno has been advocating : it is not proper that he 
should be spoken to, exhorted by, or communed with, by the bliikkhus. 

<« Bhagawd then thus addressed the bhikkhus : Bhikkhus, should there 
ever unto any one bhikkhu be any doubt or incomprehensibility as regards 
either Buddho , Dhammo, Sangho, Maggo, + or Patipadd, inquire (at once) : 
do not reproach yourselves hereafter saying, although Sattha was personally 
present to us, we lost the opportunity of making our inquiry personally of 
him. On being thus addressed the bhikkhus remained silent. Bhagawa simi¬ 
larly exhorted them a second and a third time ; and the bhikkhus still re¬ 
mained silent. 

“ Bhagawa again exhorted them saying : Bhikkhus, if it be out of profound 
reverence for the Satthd that ye abstain from inquiring directly from him 
bhikkhus, let one confiding priest make the inquiry through another in whom 
he confides. Even on being thus conjured the bhikkhus remained silent. 

“Thereupon the venerable Anando thus addressed Bhagawa: Lord, this 
is miraculous : Lord, this is wonderful: I place implicit confidence in this 
congregation of bhikkhus ; not even unto one bhikkhu is there any doubt 
or incomprehensibility in regard either to Buddho, Dhammo, Sangho, 
Maggo or Patipadd. Anando, it is thy faith that impels thee to make this 
declaration : the omniscience of Tathagato is in the same manner conscious, 
that not even unto one bhikkhu is there any doubt or incomprehensibility 
in regard to Buddho, Dhammo, Sangho, Maggo or Patipadd. Anando, 
among these five hundred bhikkhus, even the last one, has attained the 
Sotapanno, —the grace that rescues him from hell, and the sanctification 
that realizes araliathood. 

Bhagawa then addressed the bhikkhus saying : Bhikkhus, I am exhorting 
you (for the last time), transitory things are perishable : without procras- 

* This term implies perfect equality, and as in the order of ordination one 
bhikkhu must be senior to another, an appellation implying equality applied by 
a junior to a senior Upasampada is disrespectful and irreverent. 

t Maggo is the road that leads to nibbdnun, and patipadd is the life of righte¬ 
ousness that ought to be observed on that road. 

X 2 


232 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


tination qualify yourselves (for nibbanan). These were the last words of 
Tathagato. 

“ Bhagawa then became absorbed in the-first Jhdndn-samdpati, passing 
from the first Jhdndn he became absorbed in the second Jhdndn ; passing 
from the second Jhdndn, he became absorbed in the third Jhanan ; passing 
from the third Jhdndn , he became absorbed in the fourth Jhdndn ; passing 
from the fourth Jhdndn, he became absorbed in the dkdsandnchayatdnan ; 
passing from the dlcdsdnanchdyatdnan, he became absorbed in the winna- 
nanchdyatdnan • passing from the ivinnananchdyatdnan, he became absorbed 
in the akinchannayatanan ; passing from the akinchdnnayatdnan, he became 
absorbed in the newasanndnasannayatanan , and passing from the newasan- 
ndnasanannayatanan, he became absorbed in the sannawedayitanirodhan. 

“ The venerable Anando then thus inquired of the venerable Anurudho : 
Lord, has Bhagawa expired ? No, awuso Anando, Bhagawa has not ex¬ 
pired : he is absorbed in the wedayitanirodhan. 

“ From this wedayitanirodhan, Buddho step by step descends again to 
the first jhanan, and again rises to the fourth jhanan. In the transition 
between the fourth and fifth jhdnan, Bhagawa expired. 

We may omit the effects produced on the celestial and terrestrial beings 
by this event; and pass on to the cremation of the body. Anando having 
announced the death of Buddha to the Kusinarians and called upon them 
to perform their allotted duties, the “ Mallians, the Mallian youths, the 
Mallian damsels, and Mallian wives—afflicted, disconsolate, and oppressed 
with grief,—some wept with dishevelled hair, some bewailed with uplifted 
arms—some dropt as if felled, and others reeled to and fro, exclaiming : 
Too soon has Bhagawa died : too soon has Sugato died : too soon has 
the Eye closed on the world. 

“ Thereupon the Kusinarian Mallions issued this command to their men : 
collect then in Kusindra garlands of flowers, and procure every description 
of musical instruments. Accordingly the Kusinarian Mallians, taking with 
them garlands of flowers, every description of musical instruments, and five 
hundred pairs of cloths—wherever the Upawattano said grove of the 
Mallians might be, there they approached the corpse of Bhagawa. Having 
approached the corpse of Bhagawa—with dancing and vocal and instrumen - 
tal music, and with odoriferous garlands,—performing the prescribed offices, 
and rendering (every mark of) reverence, respect and submission, they 
employed themselves that day in suspending cloth-draperies, and erecting 
tented pavilions. 

“ This thought then occurred to the Kusinarian Mallians :—The time is 
altogether insufficient to burn the corpse of Bhagawa to-day : we will per* 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


233 


form the cremation of Bhagawa to-morrow. The Kusinarian Mallians, 
with dancing, and vocal and instrumental music, and odoriferous flowers 
performed the prescribed offices to the corpse of Bhagawa, reverently, re¬ 
spectfully and submissively ; suspending cloth draperies and erecting tented 
pavilions, and in this manner they passed the second day also. They in 
like manner occupied themselves, the third, the fourth, the fifth and the 
sixth day. 

“ Then on the seventh day this thought occurred to the Kusinarian 
Mallians: —Having, unto the corpse of Bhagawa,—with dancing and vocal 
and instrumental music, and with sweet-scented flowers,—performed the 
prescribed offices, with reverence, respect and submission ; taking it out of 
the southern gate to the southward of the city,—and by the suburb (keep¬ 
ing to) the outside to the southward of the city, we will perform the crema¬ 
tion of the body of Bhagawa. 

“ Instantly eight Mallian chieftains, bathing from head (to foot), and cloth¬ 
ing themselves in new raiment, said, we will bear the corpse of Bhagawa. 
They, however, failed in their effort to lift it. The Kusinarian Mallians 
then thus inquired of the venerable Anurudho : Lord Anurudho, whence, 
and from what cause, is it that these eight Mallian chieftains, who purified 
from head (to foot), and clad in new raiment, said : we will bear the corpse 
of Bhagawa—have found themselves unequal to the effort of raising it ?— 
Wasetthians , your intentions and the intentions of the dewata are different* 
What, then, lord, is the intention of the dewata ? Wasetthians, your inten¬ 
tion is this : we will carry the corpse of Bhagawa with dancing, and vocal 
and instrumental music, and decorated with sweet-scented garlands, perform¬ 
ing every requisite office reverently, respectfully, and submissively, through 
the southern gate to the southward of the city, and through the outskirts, 
keeping to the suburb on the southward of the town, will perform the cre¬ 
mation of Bhagawa. But Wasetthians, the intention of the dewata is this : 
we, with celestial dance as well as heavenly vocal and instrumental music, 
decorated with odoriferous garlands, carrying the body of Bhagawa—per¬ 
forming every prescribed office thereto, reverently, respectfully and submis- 

s j ve ly_through the northern gate to the northward of the city, and entering 

the town by the northern gate, and by the central gate, conveying it into 
the middle of the city, and departing out of the eastern gate to the eastward 
of the town, there, in the coronation hall, ( Makutabandhanan ) of the 
Mallians, we will perform the cremation of the body of Bhagawa. Lord, 
whatever be the intention of the dewata, be it acceded to. 

“ Instantly, every place in Kusinara which was a receptacle of dirt, filth 
and rubbish became covered knee-deep with the celestial flower mandara — 

x 3 


234 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


and the deivata as well as the Kusinarian Mallians, carrying the corpse of 
Bhagawa, with celestial and human dance, as well as vocal and instrumental 
music, and with odoriferous garlands, performing every requisite office, with 
reverence, respect and submission ; and conveying it through the northern 
gate to the northward of the city, and entering through the middle gate to 
the centre of the town,* and departing through the eastern gate to the 
eastward of the town, deposited the corpse of Bhagawa there in the corona¬ 
tion hall of the Mallains. 

“ The Kusinarian Mallians then thus inquired of the venerable Anando: 
How, lord Anando, should we dispose of the corpse of Bhagawa ? Waset- 
thians, it is proper that it should be treated in the same manner that the 
corpse of a Chakkawatti raja is treated. And in what manner, lord Anando, 
should the corpse of a Chakkawatti raja be treated ? 

“ Anando here repeats the explanation that he himself had received from 
Buddho. 

“ Thereupon the Kusinarain Mallians gave this order to their people : 
Fellows, collect for us Mallains some floss cotton ; and then the Kusianain 
Mallians wound the corpse of Bhagawa with a new cloth ; having wound it 
with a new cloth, they covered it with a layer of floss cotton ; having cover¬ 
ed it with a layer of floss cotton, they again wound it with a new cloth ; and 
in this manner having wound the body of Bhagawa with the five hundred 
pairs of cloths (which they had brought), and deposited it in a metal oil- 
vessel, covering it with another metal oil-vessel, they placed the body of 
Bhagawa on the funeral pile. 

“ At that time the venerable Kassapo was on his road from Pawd to Kusin- 
ara, attended by a great priestly retinue, consisting of five hundred bhik- 
khus : and while the said venerable Mahakassapo was seated at the foot of 
a tree, having digressed from the road, a certain individual, who was on his 
way from Kusindra to Pdwa , passed, having in his possession some mandat'd 
flowers. The venerable Mahakassapo observed him as he was journeying 
on, at a distance ; and having recognized him, he thus accosted him : Awuso, 
art thou acquainted with our Sattha? Yes, Aivuso, I was acquainted with 
him : the said ascetic Gotamo died seven days ago, and it is from that spot 
that these mandara flowers were obtained by me. Thereupon among the 
bhikkhus who were there (with Mahakassapo), some who had not attained 
the sanctification of arahathood, wept with uplifted arms,—some dropt as 

* The Atthakatlia notices that while the corpse was in the city, the princess 
Mallaka, the widow of Bandhulo, the late MaIlian commander-in-chief, invested 
the corpse with her late husband’s official insignia called malitilatd, which jewels 
had remained unused from the time of his death. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


235 


if felled, and others reeled about saying ; Too soon has Bhagawa died : too 
soon has Sugato died—too soon has the Eye been closed on the world. But 
bhikkhus who had attained arahathood, collectedly and composedly submitted 
themselves, saying : Transitory things are perishable : how can we in this 
world obtain it (permanency). 

44 In that congregation, there was at that time one Subhaddho,* who had 
been ordained in his old age. The said Subhaddho who had been ordained 
in his dotage, thus addressed those bhikkhus : Awuso, enough ! weep not ? 
bewail not; we are happily rid of that ascetic, (under whom) we were kept 
in subjection (by being told), this is permissible unto you—that is not per¬ 
missible unto you—now, whatever we may desire, that we can do ; and that 
which we do not desire, that we can leave undone. 

44 Thereupon the venerable Mahakassapo thus addressed the bhikkhus : 
Enough Aivuso, weep not, bewail not; why ! has it not been emphatically 
declared by Bhagawa himself, saying : even amidest every community of 
happy and contented persons, various destructive and changeable issues come 
to pass ? Awuso , how can we in this world realize it (permanency). It is 
not merely by saying of any thing that is born or otherwise produced, which 
by its perishable nature is transitory, most assuredly it perishes not,—that 
it will come to pass. 

44 At this instant (at Kusinara, four Mallian chieftains, having purified 
themselves from head (to foot), and clothed themselves in new raiment, 
said :—We will apply the torch to the funeral pilef of Bhagawa—but were 
not able to ignite it. Thereupon the Kusinara Mallians thus inquired of 
the venerable Anurudho : Lord Anurudho, whence, and from what cause, is 
it, that these four Mallian chieftains who are purified from head (to foot), 
and arrayed in new garments, and who have said: we will set fire to the 
funeral pile of Bhagawa, have not been able to ignite it ? Because, Waset- 
thians, the intention of ths dewata is different. Lord, what then is the wish 
of the dewata ? Wasetthians, the venerable Mahakassapo, attended by a great 
sacerdotal retinue, consisting of five hundred bhikkhus, is now on his way 
from Pawa to Kminard , and as long as Mahakassapo shall not have bowed 
down, with uplifted hands, at the feet of Bhagawa, so long will the funeral 
pile of Bhagawa resist ignition. Lord, whatever be the design of the dewata, 
be it complied with. 

44 Thereafter, wherever the coronation hall of the Mallians might be in 
Kusinara, thither the venerable Mahakassapo repaired to the funeral pile of 

* His history is given at some length, in different portions of the Atthakatlid — 
he had been a barber in the village Atumd. 

t The funeral pile was composed of sandal-wood, and was 120 cubits high. 


236 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA III AN* 


Bhagawa. On arriving there, so adjusting his robes as to leave one shoulder 
bare, and with clasped hands having performed the padakkhinan, perambu¬ 
lation, three times, round the pile, he opened (the pile) at the feet ; and 
reverentially bowed down his head at the feet of Bhagawa. The aforesaid 
five hundred priests, also, adjusting their robes so as to leave one shoulder 
bare, and with clasped hands, having performed the padakkhinan, perambu¬ 
lation, thrice round the pile, likewise, reverentially bowed down at the feet 
of Bhagawa. While the venerable Mahakassapo and these five hundred 
bhikkhus were in the act of bowing down in adoration, the funeral pile of 
Bhagawa spontaneously ignited. 

“ It thus came to pass in regard to the corpse of the Bhagawa who was con¬ 
sumed by fire: neither his surface skin, nor his flesh, nor his nerves, nor his 
muscles deposited any ashes or soot; none (of those parts) of his corpse 
remained (unconsumed). In the same manner that neither butter nor oil, 
which is consumed by fire, leaves either ashes or soot—so it came to pass in 
regard to the corpse of the Bhagawa who was consumed—neither his surface 
skin, nor his under skin, nor his flesh, nor his nerves, nor his muscles left 
any residuary ashes or soot: none (of those substances) of his corporeal 
remains was left unconsumed. All the cloths, composing the five hundred 
pairs of cloths, were consumed. At the instant that the internal and exter¬ 
nal parts of the corpse of Bhagawd were absorbed, streams of water pouring 
down from the skies, caused (the flames of) Bhagawa’s funeral pile to be 
extinguished : the flame was thus extinguished by the down pour on the top 
of the funeral pile of Bhagawa. The Kusinaran Mallians also helped to 
extinguish the funeral pile by sprinkling every kind of scented water. 

“ The Kusinarian Mallians then forming a trelice work with lances, and 
fencing the place round with their bows (transferred) the remains of Bhaga¬ 
wa to the assembly hall* (within the town) ; and for seven days, with danc¬ 
ing and vocal and instrumental music, and with garlands of fragrant flowers, 
rendered every mark of respect, reverence, devotion and submission. 

“ The Magadha raja Ajatasattu, the Wedehian descendant, heard that Bha¬ 
gawa had attained parinibhanan at Kusinara ; thereupon the said Magadha 
monarch Ajatasattu, the Wedehian , sent an embassy unto the Kusinarian 
Mallians , with this message : Bhagawa was a kattiyo ; and I am also a kat- 
tiyo. I am likewise worthy of possessing a portion of the corporeal remains 
of Bhagawa. I will also erect a thupo over the remains of Bhagawa, and 
celebrate a festival. 

* The AtthakathA gives a detailed account of (the procession which transferred 
the bones of Buddho, still contained in the metal vessel in which he was burnt, 
from the coronation hall to the house of assembly. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


237 


“ ^ ie Lichchhawi of We'sdli, as being also of the kattiyo race : the Sdkya 
dynasty of Kapilawatt Jaipur a, as the relations of Buddho ; the Balayo of 
Allakappd, as of the kattiyo tribe ; the kattiya dynasty of Ramagdmo, as of 
the kattiyo tribe ; the brahmans of Wdtlhad'ipo , as being of the brahman 
tribe ; the Haitians of Pawd, as being of the kattiyo tribe all lay claim 
to a portion of the relics of Bhagawa in precisely the same terms as the 
message sent by Ajatasattu. 

tl O n being thus addressed, the Haitians of Kusindrd thus replied to the 
assembly of emissaries : Bhagawa died within our territory : we will not give 
you any portion of his corporeal relics. On this answer being delivered,* 
the brahman Bono thus spoke to the assembly of emissaries : Beloved, listen 
to this one observation I am about to address to you : Our Buddho was of 
a most pacific character : it is improper to raise a contest at the moment of 
the corporeal dissolution of so excellent a being. Beloved, let all of us, 
willingly, cordially and unanimously, divide the relics into eight portions: 
many nations are converted unto the Eye (Buddho)—let thupd therefore be 
extensively built in different regions. They answered : Well, brahman, do 
then thyself carefully divide the relics of Bhagawa into eight equal portions. 
Replying; be it so, beloved ;—the brahman Bond according to the request 
of that assembly, carefully dividing the relics of Bhagawa into eight equal 
portions, thus addressed that concourse of emissaries : My friends, give me 
this kumbhan , (the vessel with which the relics were measured,) and I will 
erect a thupo to that kumbhdn :+ and they gave that kumbhdn to the brah¬ 
man Bond. 

“ The Horians of PippJialiwano heard that Bhagawa had died at Kusindrd ; 
and thereupon the Horians of PippJialiwano sent an embassy to the Haiti¬ 
ans of Kusindrd t saying : Bhagawa was a kattiyo ; we are kattiya, and are 
also worthy of a portion of the corporeal relics of Bhagawa : we will erect a 
thupo over the relics of Bhagawa, and celebrate a festival. They answered : 
there is no portion of the relics of Bhagawa left: the relics of Bhagawa have 
been divided : take from hence the charcoal of the funeral pile ; and they 
accordingly did take away charcoal. 

“ The Hdgadha monarch Ajatasattu, the Wedehian, built a thupo at Baja - 
gahan over the relics of Bhagawa, and celebrated a festival. The Wesdlian 
Lichchhawi built a thupo at We'sdli over the relics of Bhagawa, and cele- 

* The uninjured bones were the following-; the four canine teeth—the two 
collar bones—the frontal bone, with a long- hair growing on it, which gave to 
that relic the appellation of the renhisa or hair relic. The rest of the bones were 
partially injured by the fire. The smallest atoms were reduced to the size of 
mustard seed ; the middling atoms were of the size of half a grain of rice ; and 
the larger atoms were of the size of half a grain of mugga seed. 

t A measure containing 4 ulhuhdn. 


238 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HTAN. 


brated a festival. The Sdkyans resident at Kapilawaithu erected a thupo at 
Kapilawatthu over the relics of Bhagawa and celebrated a festival. The 
AUakcippa Balayans built a thupo at Allakappo over the relics of Bhagawa 
and celebrated a festival. The Rdmagamian Kosaliyans built a thupo at 
Rdmagamo over the corporeal relics of Bhagawa, and celebrated a festival. 
The We'tthadipian brahmans built a thupo at Wetthadipo over the corpo- 
real relics of Bhagawa, and celebrated a festival. The Paweyan Mallians 
built a thupo at Pawd over the relics of Bhagawa, and celebrated a festival 
The Kusindrian Mallians built a thupo at Kusindrd over the corporeal relics 
of Bhagawa, and celebrated a festival. The brahman l)on6 built a thupo for 
the kurnhhdn : and the Pipphalawarian Morions built a thupo at Pippha- 
lawano over the charcoal, and celebrated a festival. Thus there were eight 
thupo over the corporeal relics ; a ninth over the kurnhhdn , and a tenth 
over the charcoal. This is the origin of this matter, (the erection of 
thupos .)—J. W. L. 

(9) There were Siu po. —This name is also written Siu pho tho lo. Hiuan 
tlisang renders it Sou po tholo (in Sanscrit Subhadra), and translates 

in Chinese Shen Man, that is, ‘ the good sage.* He was a master of these 
brahmans, and attained the age of one hundred and twenty years. He was 
contemporary with Anan and the other disciples of Sakya Muni whose doc¬ 
trine he adopted.—Kl. 

(11) The hero of the diamond sceptre.— That is to say, the Bodhisattwa, 
Vajrapani , so called because he holds in his hand a kind of sceptre of dia¬ 
mond, or a thunderbolt. 

The name of this Bodhisattwa is translated in Tibetan Phyough na r dor 
xdzie, or Lagh na r do xdzie; that is, ‘ he who holds in his hand the diamond 
sceptre.’ The Mongols often disfigure the name, writing it Vtchir bani, 
which they pronounce Olchir bani. Pallas and Georgi have given a figure 
of this divinity. 

Hiuan tlisang has given the same Bodhisattwa the title of ‘ the hero of 
the hidden trace of the genius of the diamond sceptre.’ When he saw that 
Foe was about to die, he exclaimed in grief, “ The Ju lai is about to leave 
us to enter the great nirvana * he will no longer improve, he will no longer 
protect us. The poisoned shaft hath entered deep, the flame of sorrow' 
riseth up !” He then threw down his diamond sceptre, (the golden pestle 
of Fa liian) and in despair rolled himself in the dust; then rising up full of 
grief and compassion he exclaimed, “ In the vast ocean of birth and of 
death who shall be our boat and our oar ? In the darkness of a long 
night, who shall be our lamp and our match ?”* 

* Pian i tian, B. LXXVII. art. 7. p. 3-4. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 239 

Vajrapani is the second of the five Dhyani, or celestial Bodhisattwas, 

— Kl. 

(12) Where the eight kings divided his she li.— In the second part of 
the Ni pan king we read, that when Sakya Muni had accomplished his 
Chha phi (cremation) in the village of Kiu shi, all the neighbouring states 
raised armies to contend for his sarira, or reliques. There was then a 
brahman who divided these reliques into eight parts, in order that the eight 
kingdoms might each erect a tower in honor of them. 

1st. The Champions of the town of Kiu shi had a portion of the sarira ; 
they erected a tower in the midst of their country and there made offerings. 

2d. The Laity (in Sanscrit Upasika, in Chinese Ly seng) of the kingdom 
of Pho kian lo pho , obtained a part of these reliques, with which they re¬ 
turned to their country and there erected a tower in veneration of them. 

3d. The Kiu leou lo of the kingdom of the Szu kia na pho, the same. 

4th. The Kshatryas of the kingdom of A le che, the same. 

5th. The Brahmans of the kingdom of Phi neou, the same. 

6th. The Li chlic of the kingdom of Phi li (Phi she li), the same. 

7th. The Sakyas of the kingdom of Che lo kia lo, the same. 

8th. The king A che shi of the kingdom of Mo kia tho, the same.*—Kl. 

(14) Where the Li chhe wished to follow Foe. —Mr. Abel Remusat had 
translated this passage, “ At the place where the Chu chhe li wished to 
follow Foe in his pan ni houan but the inhabitants of the town of Phi 
she li (Vaisali) are here spoken of. These formed a republic, and called 
themselves in Sanscrit Lichchiwi,—Li chhe, in the Chinese transcrip¬ 
tion. The same expression is likewise found in the Ni pan king, Heoufen, 
where this division of the reliques is spoken of. The name of Vaisali is 
abridged Phi li; “ And all the Lichchiwi of that town had their share of 
the reliques, as well as the laics of Kiu chi, the Chha li li (Kshatriyas) of 
A le che, and the Pho lo men (brahmans) of Phi neou.— Kl. 

(15) Foe inferred a happy omen from his pot.— In the ‘ Abridgment of 
the doctrine of Buddha Gautama,’ written in Singalese and published by 
Mr. Upham, we read ; “ He (Buddha) was seated near the river Niranjara 
where he divided the rice into forty-nine balls, which he ate. He then 
threw the golden pot into the stream, reflecting that if it should float against 
the current, he should ultimately attain Buddhahood. The miracle indeed 
occurred, and he proceeded onwards with renewed ardour."—Kl. 

(16) To detail all these events in the life of Sakya Muni would require 
that we should have access to his complete biography, which is not availa¬ 
ble in Paris.—Kl. 

* Ni pan king Heou fen, quoted in the San isangfa sou, B. XXXI, p. 4, 5. 


240 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


Several pillars have been discovered in this neighbourhood. Mr. Hodgson 
• has figured and described* that at Mathia betwixt Bettiah and the Gandalt. 
Another exists at Radhia in the same district, and a third near Bakra on 
the high road to Hajipore. None of these however is the pillar described 
by our pilgrim and Hiouan thsang, as they were all erected by Asoka and are 
inscribed with an edict of that prince : unless, indeed, we suppose with Pro¬ 
fessor Wilson that Hiouan thsang saw that of Mathia, but was misinformed 
as to the purport of the inscription ; a supposition which does not appear to 
me very probable. The pillar alluded to in the text has, therefore, yet to 
be discovered.—J. W. L. 


CHAPTER XXV. 


Kingdom of Phi she li.—Tower of half of the body of A nan.—Garden of the 
woman An pho lo.—Place where Foe entered nirvana.—Tower of the bows 
and deposited arms.—A nan entreateth not Foe to remain in the world.—Col¬ 
lection of the acts and the precepts of Foe. 

Thence proceeding five yeou yarn 1 to the east, you come to the 
kingdom of Phi she li.* Here are a great forest and a chapel of 
two stories; it was one of the stations of Foe, and here you see 
the Tower of half of the body of A nan.* There lived formerly 
in this town a woman named An pho lof who erected a tower to 
Foe ; and still to the south of the town, distant three li, and west¬ 
ward of the road, you see the garden which this woman gave to 
Foe, and which is one of the stations of the latter . 5 When Foe 
was on the eve of entering ni houan , he with his disciples 
issued from the town of Phi she li by the western gate, and turn¬ 
ing round to the right , 6 and casting his eyes upon the town of Phi 
she li, he prophesied to his disciples, saying, “ It is here that the 
last of my acts will take place .” 7 Men of after times have there 
erected a tower. 

Three li to the north-west of the town there is a tower named that 
of the bows and deposited arms. What gave rise to the name is 
* Fian i dan. B, LXIV, art. 9, p. 3. 



CHAPTER XXV. 


241 


this i It happened that on the bank of the river Heng , 8 one of the 
inferior wives of the king was delivered of a ball of flesh. The 
principal wife of the king observed, “That which thou hast 
brought into the world is a sign of evil augury.” They put it 
into a wooden coffer, and cast it into the river Ileng ; the coffer 
followed the course of the stream. There was a king, who looking 
about observed the coffer on the surface of the water; he opened 
it, and beheld a thousand little children extremely well formed. 
The king took them and brought them up. Afterwards, be¬ 
coming great, they waxed strong and valiant, and none whom they 
attacked could withstand them, but were obliged to succumb. 
They came to attack the kingdom of the king their father. The 
latter was terrified. The inferior wife asked him the cause of 
his dejection. He answered, “ The king of such a country has 
a thousand sons exceedingly valiant, and without their equals; 
they are coming to attack my kingdom, and this is the cause of 
my sadness.” The young woman replied, “Grieve not, but 
construct a lofty pavilion to the eastward of the town; and when 
the enemies come, you shall place me on the pavilion, and I under¬ 
take to resist them.” The king did as she said ; and when the 
enemies were come, the young woman, placed in the pavilion, thus 
addressed them ; “ You are my children,” said she ; “ why come 
you thus to rebel and to make wav upon us ?” “ Who art thou,” 
replied the enemies, “ who callest thyself our mother ?” Then 
the young woman replied, “ If you believe me not, stretch 
towards me your mouths !” Then pressing with her hands her 
two breasts, she caused to issue from each five hundred jets of 
milk, which fell into the mouths of her thousand sons. These 
enemies acknowledging then that she was their mother, deposited 
their bows and their arms, and the two kings, in consideration of 
this event, obtained each the dignity of Py chi foe . 9 The two 
towers of these Py chi foe exist to this day. The Honorable Ones 
of after Ages who have accomplished the law, have declared to 
their disciples that it was here that the boxes and the arms were 
deposited ; men of subsequent times having learnt this, erected a 

Y 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


242 

tower in this place, and hence its name. The thousand children 
are the thousand Foes of the Epoch of the Sages.'* Foe finding 
himself at the tower of the bows and deposited arms , warned A 
nan, saying to him, “ In three months hence I must enter m 
houan.” The king of the demons disturbed A nan and prevent¬ 
ed him from entreating Foe to remain in the age / 1 

At three or four li from this place there is a tower. A hun¬ 
dred years after Foe had entered ni houan a mendicant of 
Pi she li collected all his acts and every thing referring to the 
ten forbidden things of the law, accompanying them with the 
very words of Foe. It is thus that at a more recent period, a 
convocation of arhans and mendicants, who maintained the pre¬ 
cepts and were all doctors, seven hundred ecclesiastics in all, 
examined anew the treasure of the Laws. 1 * Subsequent people 
have erected a tower at this place, which still exists. 

NOTES. 

(1) Five yeou yans — Twenty or five and twenty miles. 

(2) The kingdom of Phi she li. This is the Chinese transcription of 

the name of the formerly famous town of Vaisdli, 5 in Pali Vesdli 

and Vesaliya puri; in Tibetan Yangs badjian. The Mongols 

have preserved the Sanscrit name Vaisdli balghasoun, ‘ the town of Vaisali.' 
It is celebrated as the residence of Sakya Muni and the scene of his preach - 
• y He came thither on the invitation of the Lichchivis, the iuhabitants of 
Vaisali, who had a republican Government, and were very wealthy. Hiuan 
ihsang visited Vaisali; he transcribes the nam eFei she li, and says that the 
country appertains to Mid-India. He makes it 5000 li in circumference, and 
says that the soil is fertile, producing fruits, flowers, and grasses. It pro¬ 
duces many An mou lo and Meou che fruits. The country is rich, the tem¬ 
perature pleasant and subject to few vicissitudes. The manners of the 
people are gentle; and the people themselves content with their happy cir¬ 
cumstances. As to their creed, it is a medley of the false and true. More 
than a hundred Kia lan (monasteries) are in ruins. There remain but three 
or five, in which there are but very few religious disciples; these have about 
ten chapels, live mingled with the heretics, and appear in fact scarcely 
different from them. The town of Fei she li is at present fallen to ruin. 


CHAPTER XXV. 


OA Q 
J 

The ancient walls are 60 to 70 li in circumference, and the fort ( Koung 
chhing, town of the palace) 4 or 5. It is no longer inhabited.*—Kl. 

The site of Phi she li (the Vaisali pi the Hindus, the Wesali of Pali 
books, and the Yangs pa chan of the Tibetans) is easily identified from the 
narrative of our traveller. It will be seen that this city was four yojanas 
distant from the Ganges and on the eastern bank of the Gandak. Precisely 
in this locality, betwixt the towns of Sinhiya and Bakra are to be found 
large mounds, brick rubbish, and other unmistakeable evidence of the former 
existence of a large city on the spot. These have been described in the 
Journal of Asiatic Society , Vol. IV. p. 128 by Mr. J. Stephenson, who also 
mentions the remarkable pillar alluded to in a former note. “ This superb 
monument is the only remains of former grandeur that has escaped the 
ravages of time, owing to the solidity of its structure. The smooth polish¬ 
ed shaft is an immense solid block of small grained reddish coloured sand¬ 
stone, surmounted by a singular and beautiful sculptured capital, on which 
rests a square tabular block, supporting a well sculptured lion in a sitting 
posture of the same material. This pillar seems to have no pedestal, though 
from the soft and alluvial nature of the ground on which it stands, it is 
reasonable to suppose that it must have sunk and buried itself deep in the 
soil. * * * * The numerous magnificent (though old) tanks amounting 
to about 50 in number large and small, strengthen the general opinion that 
this place is the site of a large city, at a remote period inhabited by a nu¬ 
merous and civilized wealthy people.” I think there need be little doubt 
that this was the site of Vaisali , so long supposed to be Allahabad, and one 
of the most famous of Sakya’s stations, or places of sojourn and religious 
instruction. It is well worthy of a more thorough investigation. It was 
from these ruins that the first statue of Buddha with the celebrated 
inscription “ Ye dharma hetu prabhava ,” &c. was found. 

Starting from Phi she li as a well ascertained point and retracing our 
pilgrim’s steps according to bis own distance, and bearings, we shall have 
his route from She wei and the approximate positions of Kapilavastu, Lan 
mo, and Kivi i confirmed. The length of his yojana in Magadha will be 
found however not greatly to exceed 4 miles as will be further proved by 
his distances in south Behar. On the subject of the length of the yojana, 
the following observations by Wilford are not inapposite. After quoting 
Pliny’s account of the distance of Palibothra from the confluence of the 
Jumna and the Ganges, he remarks “ that Megasthenes says the high ways 
in India were measured, and that at the end of a certain Indian measure 
{which is not named but is said to be equal to ten stadia) there was a tip- 
* Pian i tian, B. LXIV. art. 9. p. 3. 

v 2 


244 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


pus or sort of column erected. No Indian measure answers to this but 
the brahmam or astronomical Kos of four to a yojana. This is the Hindu 
statute Kos, and equal to 1*227 British miles. It is used to this day by 
astronomers and by the inhabitants of the Punjab, hence it is very often 
called the Punjabi Kos : thus the distance from Lahor to Multan is reckon¬ 
ed to this day 145 Punjabi, or 90 common Kos. “ Asiatic Researches, 
Vol. V. p. 274. It is not a little remarkable that the length of the yojana 
in the north-west of India as determined by Capt. Alex. Cunningham, from 
our pilgrim’s distances, namely within a fraction of 7 miles, bears precisely 
the same proportion to the Magadhi yojana , determined from the same source, 
as the Punjabi does to the common Kros. The learned Colebrooke* makes 
the Standard Kros equal to English miles nearly, and the computed 
Kros half that, or l£th.—J. W. L. 

(3) One half the body of A nan. —We shall see in the next chapter how 
the sarira of A nan were disposed of.—Kl. 

(4) A woman named An pho lo. —Hiuan thsang writes this name An 
ruou lo. —Kl. 

Professor Wilson conjectures this holy woman to be the Ahalya of the 
Hindus, who lived at Yaisali at the time of Rama’s visit; but I make no 
doubt she is the Ambapdli of the Pali Buddhistical Annals, and the Amra - 
skyong-ma of the Kah-gyur, described in the latter work as a celebrated 
harlot of Yangs-pa-chan (Vaisali). The story of her amours with Vimba- 
sara is given in the Dal-va; where also she is described as entertaining 
Sakya with great splendour in her grove or garden near Vaisali. As the 
whole circumstance is interesting from the light it throws upon ancient 
Indian manners, I shall give it in detail as narrated in the Pali annals. 
“ The courtesan Ambapdli having heard that Bhagawan had arrived at We- 
sali and was sojourning in her garden Ambapdliwano, equipping a superb 
vehicle for herself, and magnificent conveyances (for her suite), setting out 
from Wesali, proceeded to the garden, using those conveyances as far as they 
could be used ; and the rest of the way, descending from the vehicle, she 
proceeded on foot, and waited on Bhagawan. Having approached and bow¬ 
ed down to him, she took her seat on one side of him. Bhagawan then 
addressed the courtesan Amba])dli, who was thus seated by his side, a dis¬ 
course upon dhammo. He confirmed her faith, comforted her, and made 
her steadfastly confide (therein). She who had been thus confirmed in her 
faith, comforted, and made steadfastly to confide (therein), addressed Bha¬ 
gawan, saying; Lord Bhagawan ! vouchsafe to accept the repast I shall 
prepare for thee, as w*ell as thy disciples, to-morrow. Bhagawan, by his silence 
* As. Res. vol. V. p. 105. 


CHAPTER XXV. 


245 


consented to accept the same. The courtesan Ambapali thereby under¬ 
standing that the invitation was accepted by Buddho, rising from her seat, 
and performing the padakkhinan (walking respectfully round him) thrice, 
departed.’’ On her return, continues the translator, she meets the rulers 
of Wesali, repairing to Ambapaliwano , gorgeously apparelled, and in superb 
equipages. Her suite compel them to make way for her, and she declines 
acceding to their entreaty to resign to them the honor of entertaining Bud¬ 
dha the next day ; and Bhagawan himself, though solicited by these chiefs, 
adheres to his promise made to the courtesan. He attends accordingly, and 
he and his disciples are served by her own hands. After the repast, she 
takes her seat again beside him, and implores him to accept the Ambapali 
garden as an offering to himself and his disciples. The offering is accept¬ 
ed ; and he preaches another sermon at her house. 

There seems to have been no derogation to his dignity in being entertain* 
ed by persons of Ambapali’s calling and character; for Sakya appears on 
other occasions to have been similarly favoured by the Thais or Aspasia of the 
town in which he happened to sojourn. 

Mr. Tumour quotes a passage from the Tika of the Mahavanso, which 
would lead us to enfer that there was an office, called Chief of the Courtesans, 
instituted at Wesali. “ Upon a certain occasion, the Lichchawi rajas con¬ 
sulted together, and came to the resolution, that it would be prejudicial to 
their capital, if they did not keep up the office of ** Naggarasobhini tharan- 
taran,” (chief of courtesans, or of the beauties of the town). Under this 
impression they appointed to that office a lady of unexceptionable rank. One 
of these rajas receiving her into bis own palace, &c.”—There is mention 
made in M. de Coros’ analysis of the Mdo of a pious woman named Nagara 
avalambika, who presented a lamp to Sakya; no further details are given 
regarding her in the short abstract of M. de C., but we might infer from 
her name that she is another example of a similar official. 

The classical reader will not fail to recall many passages, particularly in 
the dramatic literature of the ancients, which indicate an analogous condi¬ 
tion of society in Greece and Rome. On this subject Professor Wilson 
makes the following interesting remarks: “ The defective education of 

the virtuous portion of the sex and their consequent uninteresting character, 
held out an inducement to the unprincipled members both of Greek 
and Hindu society, to rear a class of females, who should supply those 
wants which rendered home cheerless. And should give to men hetaera, 
or female friends, and associates in intellectual as well as in animal 
enjoyments. A courtesan of this class inspired no abhorrence; she was 
brought up from her infancy to the life she professed, which she 
Y 3 


246 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


graced by her accomplishments, and not unfrequently dignified by her vir¬ 
tues. Her disregard of social restraint was not the voluntary breach of 
moral, social, or religious precepts ; it was the business of her education to 
minister to pleasure, and in the imperfect system of the Greeks, she com¬ 
mitted little or no trespass against the institutes of the national creed, or 
the manners of society. The Hindu principles were more rigid, and not 
only was want of chastity in a female a capital breach of social and religi¬ 
ous obligations, but the association of men with professed wantons was 
equal violation of decorum, and, involving a departure from the purity of 
caste, was considered a virtual degradation from rank in society ; in practice 
however, greater latitude seemed to have been observed, and in theMrichch- 
kati, a brahman, a man of family and repute, incurs apparently no dis¬ 
credit from his love for a courtesan ; a still more curious feature is, that 
his passion for such an object seems to excite no sensation in his family 
nor uneasiness in his wife; and the nurse presents his child to his mistress, 
as to its mother; and his wife besides interchanging civility (a little cold¬ 
ly, perhaps, but not compulsively) finishes by calling her sister, and 
acquiescing therefore in her legal union with her lord. It must be acknow¬ 
ledged that the poet has managed his story with great dexterity, and the 
interest with which he has invested his heroine prevents manners so revolt¬ 
ing to our notions, from being obtrusively offensive. No art was necessary, 
in the estimation of a Hindu writer, to provide his hero with a wife or two, 
more or less ; and the acquisition of an additional bride is the ordinary cata¬ 
strophe of the lighter dramas.” It requires no very intimate acquaintance 
with Hindu manners to trace the influence of this loose morality in the 
present day.—J. W. L. 

(5) One of the stations of Foe , i. e. one of the places where he had 
preached the law to his disciples.—Kl. 

(6) Turning round to the right .—The expression here employed by our 
learned pilgrim has perhaps more significance than at first appears. Accord¬ 
ing to a whimsical notion of Buddhists, all Buddhas, as well as Chakkra- 
vartti rajahs, are peculiarly formed in the neck, having a single bone in¬ 
stead of the usual cervical vertebrae. Hence they are unable to look aside 
without turning the entire body after the manner of elephants. On this 
account, the farewell look here spoken of by Fa hian, is elsewhere denomi¬ 
nated the “ Elephant-look at Vaisali .” In the Pali Buddhistical Annals 
we are told that when Sakya wished, on the night of his escape from his 
father’s palace, to cast a farewell glance at Kapilavastu, the spot on which 
his horse stood, turned half round, “ like a potter's wheel,” doubtless in con¬ 
sideration of the inflexibility of neck of which we now speak.—J. W, L, 


CHAPTER XXV. 


247 


(7) There seems to have been some doubt about the exact meaning of 
this sentence in the original. M. Remusat, translates it, “ This is the 
place to which I shall return a long time hence/’ The version in the text 
is by M. Klaproth. 

(8) The river Heng. —The Chinese transcription of Ganga—the Ganges. 
Hiuan thsang writes it Khing kia. —Kl. 

(9) The rank of Py chi foe,—\. e. Pratyeka Buddha. (See Chap. XIII. 
note 13.)—Kl. 

(10) The epoch of Sages. —In Chinese, Hian kie; in Sanscrit ^^^7, 
Bhadrakalpa, ‘ the era of virtuous sages.’ According to the cosmogony of 
the Buddhists, the mundane systems succeed each in perpetual renewals and 
destructions, having their origin at the second Dhyana, in the kalpa or 
epoch of the foundation. The successive formation of the various regions 
of the world occupies an intermediate kalpa , or the twentieth part of the 
kalpa of the foundation. It is only on the completion of all these forma¬ 
tions from the regions of the gods to the surface of the earth, and as far as 
mount Sumeru, that they become peopled by beings who proceed from the 
third region of the second Dhyana, which is also the most elevated. This 
population continues during nineteen intermediate kalpas, till the origin 
of the infernal regions and the time when the life of man is reduced from 
innumerable years to 80,000. Then begins the second period, which is the 
kalpa of habitation or of stability. During this kalpa, a thousand Bud¬ 
dhas must appear to renew by turns the Buddhic doctrine, and for this 
reason it is designated the Bhadrakalpa , or kalpa of virtuous sages. The 
first intermediate kalpa lasts till the age of man is reduced from 80,000 
years to 10 ; then follows the second intermediate kalpa, in which the age 
of man reascends to 80,000 years ; and so for seventeen such revolutions, 
which then complete the great kalpa. 

The kalpa in which we live is the Bhadrakalpa , or kalpa of the virtuous 
sages. A list of all the thousand Buddhas of this kalpa, who have 
already appeared, has been printed in China, in Sanscrit, Tibetan, Mand- 
chu, Mongolian, and Chinese. A similar list may be found in the Maha- 
yana Sutra, Bhadrakalpangya , which has been translated into Mongol. Mr. 
J. J. Schmidt, has extracted from these two works the list of the thousand 
Buddhas in Sanscrit. (Ueber Die Tausend Buddhas, read at the Academy 
of St. Petersburgh, 10 Oct. 1832).—Kl. 

(11) To remain in the age. —Hiuan thsang thus reports this event accord¬ 
ing to the legend. “ Hard by the garden of Au mou lo, there is a tower 
erected in the place where Foe announced his Nirvana. Foe being here, 
said to A nan , “ He that has fathomed the primal cause of the four species 


248 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


of supernatural properties (in Sanscrit may remain an entire Kalpa 

in the world. Now I have accomplished this age; how much longer 
should I remain in the world ?” Thrice did he repeat the question ; but 
A nan answered not, for the heavenly Mara had darkened his understanding. 
A nan then rose from his seat and proceeded to the forest to meditate in 
silence. The prince of the Maras then approached Foe, and said ; li The Ju 
lai hath been long in the world ! He hath converted and saved as many as 
there be grains of sand in the dust. Now the Buddha hath attained such 
advanced age as makes it well for him to enter nirvana.” The Venerable of 
the Age then took a little earth, and placing it on the nail of his finger, asked 
the Mara, “ Is there more earth on all the terrestrial surface than on my 
finger ?” The Mara replied, “ There is more earth on the terrestrial sur¬ 
face.’' Then said Buddha : “ The number of beings whom I have convert¬ 
ed and saved, is as the little earth upon my finger; while the unconverted 
are as the mass of the whole earth. Nevertheless, in three months hence 
I shall enter nirvana.” The prince of the Maras having heard this went 
away satisfied, and withdrew to his ordinary abode. 

A nan being in the forest dreamt that he beheld a great tree, whose wide 
spread branches, were covered with a beautiful thick foliage, offering a 
pleasant shade. Suddenly a frightful storm arose, uprooted that tree, and 
scattered it in fragments. A nan then thought, “ Is the Venerable of the 
Age about to enter Nirvana ? My heart fears it !” He then went and 
enquired of Foe, who answered, “ Already have I warned thee of it, but 
thou wert darkened by the Mara. The king of the Maras hath but now 
left me, and to him have I promised soon to enter nirvana. Behold the 
purport of thy dream.”* 

The Mara, in Chinese Mo, in Tibetan XJ 5,^ dhoud, in Mongol 

Simnou or Shimnou, in Mandchu^dri, are powerful demons, who dwell in 
the heaven Paraniritavas avartita (‘ that exercises a power over the meta¬ 
morphoses produced by others’). This heaven is placed immediately 
below that of the first Dhyana; and is the fourth above the Trayastrinsa, 
or thirty-three inhabited by Indra and the genii, subject to his authority. 
The Maras reign over all the six heavens of the world of desires. The 
chief of the Maras is named Mara in Sanscrit, and Mo wang in Chinese. 
He is the Kama or god of pleasure of the Hindus. The Maras are the re¬ 
doubted enemies of Buddha and his doctrine, which principally aimed at the 
conquest of sensuality by every possible effort, and they employ a variety of 
pernicious means to prevent mankind from following that doctrine. To 
this end they assume human forms, and appear in the world as heretic phi- 
* Pian i tian, B. LXVI. art. 9. p. 5. 


CHAPTER XXV. 


249 


losophers, seducers, and tyrants. Sdkya Muni himself suffered greatly 
from their persecution, and his uncle Devadatta, who sought to counteract 
him in every way, is regarded as an emanation of the Maras. The life of 
the king of these demons is equal to about ten thousand millions of years ; 
for one thousand six hundred of these make one day of his life, and he lives 
eighteen thousand of such years. He bears the title of the * All powerful 
Happy One.' In spite of all their opposition to Buddha and his doctrine, 
the Maras are not after all his true enemies ; and in acting as they do, 
they but augment the glory and excellence of his doctrine.—Kl. 

(12) Examined anew the treasure of the Laws. —According to the Mon¬ 
golian History of Sanang Setsen, the first compilation of the sayings and 
doctrines of Buddha was made in the time of Margasira, (Bimbasara) king 
of Magadha. At that era, the three chiefs of the clergy, Ananda, Chikhola 
Akchi, Kasyapa, and five hundred Arhans, assembled together at Vimala - 
jana-iin koundt , and collected the sayings of Buddha relative to the primary 
principles of his doctrine, the four great truths. 

A hundred and ten years after that of the nirvana, when Ghasalang 
oughei nom-un khaghan (Asoka) was master of the gifts of religion, seven 
hundred Arhans assembled in the great town of Vaisdli, and under the pre- 
sidence of the monk Tegolden amourliksan, collected his saying relative to 
the principal mean of the doctrine, the nullity of all existence. This king 
included in the collection of the words and images of the Glorious One, a 
vast number of objects fitted for spiritual edification. 

Three hundred years after that, following the Nirvana of Sakya Muni, 
when Kanika, king of Gatchu (or Gatchi ) was master of the gifts of reli¬ 
gion, it happened that an emanation of Siumou (Mara), named Maha deva, 
became a devotee in the convent of Jalandhar a, in the kingdom of Gatchiin 
Kunasana, and mixed up unnatural transformations ( Riddhi Khoubilghan ) 
with religion. For this reason five hundred Bodhisattwas, five hundred 
Arhans, five hundred Pandits, assembled under the presidence of Vishnu 
milra, and collected Buddha's dicta concerning the ultimate principle of the 
doctrine, which was their final completion. This last collection consists prin¬ 
cipally of the Dharanis or formulae of conjuration, &c. 

The Shaster Chirkola kereglekchi, translated into Mongol; and quoted in 
the notes of M. Schmidt, contains the following notice of the dicta and doc¬ 
trines of Buddha : “ The first collection was made in the summer of the 
year following that in which Buddha entered nirvana, at the head of the 
river Routd , where Ananda and five hundred Arhans collected his first say¬ 
ings. The collection of intermediate sayings was made one hundred and ten 
years after the Nirvana, when Ghasalang oughei Nom-un khan, of the king- 


250 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


dom of Aghodoughar, was master of religion. It was made by Amourliksan, 
and seven hundred other Arhans, who collected the intermediate words of 
Buddha. 

“ Three hundred years after the entry of Buddha upon nirvana, at the 
time when Kanika was master of the gifts of religion, five hundred Bodhi- 
sattwas and five hundred Arhans, assembled under the presidence of Vish- 
numitra in the convent of Jalandri, in the kingdom of Keshmeri (Kashmir) 
and collected the last words of Buddha. At this epoch all the sayings of Bud¬ 
dha were collected in books, and they adopted as his true and infallible doc¬ 
trine four great sections which contain eighteen subdivisions. The first 
great section is composed of seven, the second of three, the third also of 
three, and the fourth of five of these sub-divisions.” 

The three compilers of these books after the death of Buddha were Anan - 
da, Upali and Kasyapa. “ A nan, says the Fou fa thsang yu yuan king, 
signifies jubilation in Sanscrit. He was the son of the king Houfan wang. 
He was born on the very day that Buddha attained the supreme degree of 
intelligence. As on this occasion the whole kingdom was in a state of joy¬ 
ousness, A nanjreceived’this name. He followed Buddha, embraced the life 
of an anchorite, and obtained the rank of Arban. He is the first among 
those ‘ who had heard much,' and was therefore in the better position to 
compile the treasure of the law. After the death of the Tathagata, he and 
Manjusri convoked a great assembly in the ‘ iron-girt mountain' and other 
places where they collected the treasure of the Sutras. Upali , signifies in 
Sanscrit, ‘ born by metamorphosis;' but the word is also explained to mean 
1 superior head,' because it was he who best received the precepts ; and as 
he best understood events, he assembled, after the death of the Tathagata, 
five hundred pious persons in the cavern of the Pi pho lo (the tree of Pho 
ti ) and with them compiled the Vinayas. Kasyapa signifies in Sanscrit 
‘ imbibed splendor.’ It is said that his body was shining and resplendent, 
and had the property of reflecting other objects. After the death of the 
Tathagata, he convoked a great assembly in the cavern of Pi pho lo, and in 
other places where he compiled the Abhidharmas.* Hiuan thsang states 
that the sages engaged in preparing the compilation called San tsang, or 
the Three Treasures, collected at first a hundred thousand Slokas, or double 
verses of the Sutras of Sakya Muni, then a hundred thousand Slokas of the 
Vinayas, and lastly a hundred thousand Slokas of the Abhidharmas ; in all 
three hundred thousand Slokas, containing six million six hundred thou¬ 
sand words.f—Kl. 

* San tsang fa sou, B. XI. p. 7. 

t Pian i tian, B. LIII. p. 10. 


CHAPTER XXVI. 


251 


CHAPTER XXVI. 


Confluence of the five rivers.-Nirvina of A nan.-His death in the middle of 

the river. 

At the distance of four ijeou yctn' you come to the Confluence 
of the five rivers . 2 A nan, proceeding from the kingdom Mo kie 
towards Phi she li , 3 with the intention of entering ni houan 
the gods informed the king A che sh i* of the circumstance. 
The latter, full of diligence, marched after him at the head of all 
his troops and arrived on the banks of the river . 5 All the Li 
chhe of Phi she li having learnt the arrival of A nan, came also 
to the interview. All having arrived at the river, A nan reflect¬ 
ed and considered, that if he should proceed in advance A che shi 
would await him ; if he should retrace his steps he would have 
the Li chhe following his footsteps. In his indignation he burnt 
himself in the middle of the stream; the flame of the san mei* 
consumed his body and he entered ni houan. His body was divided 
into two parts, and one part was carried to each side of the river, 
so that the two kings 1 had each a half of the she li of his body. 
They returned with these and erected towers . 8 

NOTES. 

(1) Four yeou yans.— about, 6 miles. 

(2) The confluence of the five rivers.— Fa hian crossed the Hi lian or Gan- 
daki before arriving at Phi she li, or Vaisdli, as that town was situated 
several li to the east of the river. From Va'isali he followed the left bank 
of the Gandaki to its confluence with the Ganges near the present town of 
Hajypore, and north of Patna. Several rivers fall into the Ganges betwixt 
this place and the Sone, so that it is probable the neighbourhood bore in 
former times the name of the five rivers. —Kl. 

(3) From Mo kie towards Phi she li.— A nan came from the kingdom of 
Magadha, situated on the south of the Ganges, and crossed that river on his 


252 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


way to Va'isali, to enter nirvana, most probably at the same place where 
Buddha had departed the world.—Kl. 

(4) Informed the king A die shi. —This, or rather A cha shi , is the trans¬ 
cription of a Sanscrit word which signifies, according to the last section of 
the Ni phan king, 1 he who begets not hatred/ or * who makes not enemies/ 
Hiuan thsang writes the name of this prince A ton to she ton lou , and as¬ 
serts that the ancient orthography, A che shi , is corrupt and abridged. The 
Sanscrit word is (he w ^° begets not hatred). He was a king of 

Vj 

Magadha, who reigned about 868 years before our era; for it is to that year 
that Chinese and Japanese Chronology refers the death of A nan or Ananda, 
namely, in the 30th of the XXXth sexagenary cycle, and the 11th of king 
Li wang of China. Ananda must have lived therefore 130 years, as he was 
born in the year when Sakya Muni obtained Buddhahood, that is 998 of our 
era.—Kl. 

It is impossible in the present state of our knowledge to account satisfac¬ 
torily for the great discrepancy between the chronology of the Chinese, and 
Trans-Himalayan Buddhists and that of the Burmese, Singhalese and Sia¬ 
mese ; but it is not difficult to show that the former furnishes sufficient 
materials for its own complete refutation. In the first place ; all autho¬ 
rities concur in referring the death of Sakya, to the reign of Ajatasatru. 
Now according to the chronology of the Vayu and Matsya Puranas , this 
prince flourished about 243, or according to the Vishnu Purdna (in which 
the reigns of the Saisunaga princes are made to average 36 years), about 
280 years before Chandragupta ; and as the latter was a contemporary of 
Seleucus Nicator, who reigned from 310 to 305 B. C., we have but to add 
three centuries to the above numbers to determine approximately the era of 
Sakya’s death. If we adopt the chronology of the Vdyu and Matsya, the 
result will very closely coincide with the Burmese and Ceylonese date of 
that event, namely 544 B. C. In the second place, the northern authori¬ 
ties aver that the second revision of the scriptures took place 110 years 
after the death of Sakya, in the reign of Asoka. But the well ascertained 
era of this prince (about the middle of the third century before Christ) is 
violently inconsistent with Chinese and Tibetan chronologies, which fix the 
Nirv&na respectively in 949 and 882 B. C. On the whole the balance of 
evidence and probability is greatly in favour of the Burmese and Singhalese 
determination of this epoch ; and I think there need be no hesitation in 
affirming that Sakya flourished towards the close of the seventh and in the 
earlier part of the sixth century before Christ. The events spoken of in the 
text must have occurred towards the close of the sixth century.—J. W. L. 

(5) On the banks of the river; —the Ganges par excellence. 


CHAPTER XXVII. 


253 


(S) The fame of his san wee.—The bodies of the Buddhas, Bodhisattwas, 
and other sanctified personages are, according to the Buddhist notions, held 
to be incombustible by natural fire, being consumable only by that of 
Samadhi, transcribed in Chinese San met ; that is to say, the fire of pro¬ 
found religious meditation, which issues from the body of the defunct, and 
consumes it, in order to reproduce it in all the beauty with which it was 
adorned in life.*—Kl. 

(7) The two kings .—It would appear that though the inhabitants of 
Vaisali had a republican government, they had nevertheless a king. The 
two kings of our text are A che shi of Magadha, and the chief, whoever he 
was, of the Li chhe , or Lichchawi of Vaisali.—‘Kl. 

(8) And built towers .—One of these towers, containing a moiety of 
the reliques of Ananda, has already been mentioned as belonging to the 
town of Vaisali.—Kl. 


CHAPTER XXVII. 


Kingdom of Mo kie thi.—Town of Pa lian fou.—Mount Khi che kiu.—Mountain 
raised by the Genii.—Anniversary festival of the birth of Foe.—Hospitals.— 
Print of the foot of Foe.—Inscription.—Town of Ni li. 


Crossing the river and proceeding southward one yeou yan ,‘ 
you arrive at the kingdom of Mo kie thi* and the town of Pa 
lian fou . 9 This was the capital of king A yu. The palaces of 
the king within the town have walls, the stones of which were 
put together by the genii. The sculptures and the carved work 
which adorn the windows, are such as cannot be equalled in the 
present age; they still exist. 

The younger brother of the king A yuf having obtained the 
doctrinal degree of Arhan, dwelt constantly in the mountains 
Khi che kiu* where he delighted himself in leisure and repose. 
The king, who revered him, beseeched him to come and perform 
divine worship in his palace; but the prince, pleased with his 
tranquil abode among the mountains, refused to accept the invi- 
* See Chap. XXIV. note 4, p. 227. 
z 


254 


PtLGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


tation. The king then said to his younger brother : “ Only 
accept my invitation and I shall cause a mountain to be raised 
for you in the midst of the town.” The king caused meat and drink 
to be brought, and called the genii, and said to them :—“ Accept, 
all of you, my invitation for to-morrow ; but you must not seat 
yourselves at table till each hath made me a present.” Next day all 
the genii brought, each one, a large stone four or five paces square. 
When the assembly was over, he charged the genii to construct 
a great mountain of stone, and to erect at the foot of the moun¬ 
tain with five great square stones, a stone-house, three chang 
long, two wide, and about 1 chang high. There was then a 
brahman of the Great Translation , named Lo that szu pho mi, 
who dwelt in that town ; he was enlightened and full of wisdom; 
there was nothing that he did not fundamentally understand ; he 
maintained himself in perfect purity. The king conferred upon 
him all manner of honours, obeyed him as a master, and when 
he went to consult him, dared not to sit in his presence. The 
king in token of his respect and regard, took him by the hand ; 
but after he had done so, the brahman immediately washed him¬ 
self. For more than fifty years the eyes of the kingdom and its 
confidence were placed upon this single man. He extended and 
spread abroad the Law of Foe, so that the heretics could not 
resist its prevalence. 

The body of the ecclesiastics founded very lofty and very 
beautiful Mo ho yan Sen kia lan 5 near the towers of king 
A yu. There are also temples of the Less Translation , inhabited 
by altogether six or seven hundred ecclesiastics. There are 
also to be seen colleges admirably built in a* severe and majestic 
style. Sha men of lofty virtue, from the four quarters of the 
globe, and students in quest of instruction in philosophy, all 
repair to these temples. The masters of the sons of Brahmans 
are called also Wen chu szu li.' In this country, the Sha men of 
exalted virtue are of the Great Translation ; the Pi kheiou follow 
their example and obey them; and those that dwell in the seng 
kia lan are all of the Kingdom of the Middle. 8 


CHAPTER XXVII. 


255 


The towns and cities of this kingdom are great; the people 
rich, fond of discussion, but compassionate and just in all their 
dealings. Every year in celebration of the eighth day of the 
moon Mao? they prepare four-wheeled cars on which they erect 
bamboo stages, supported by spears, so that they form a pil¬ 
lar two ckang high, having the appearance of a tower. They 
cover it with a carpet of white felt, upon which they place the 
images of all the celestial divinities, which they decorate with 
gold and silver and coloured glass. Above they spread an 
awning of embroidered work; at the four corners are little 
chapels, having each a Buddha seated, with Boddhisattwas 
standing beside him. There may be about twenty cars, all 
differing from each other in their ornament and importance. 
On this day all the streets are thronged with the assembled 
population. Theatrical representations are exhibited, gymnastic 
sports, and concerts of music. The brahmans come to visit 
Foe; the Buddhas arrive in the town according to their order, 
and halt at the resting places. At nightfall they eVbry where 
light lanterns in the places where they perform gymnastic 
sports, and where concerts are given in honor of the fete. 
People repair thither from all the provinces, and the delegates 
whom the chiefs of the kingdoms maintain in the town, have 
each established there a Medicine-house of happiness and vir¬ 
tue.' 0 The poor, the orphans, the lame, in short all the sick of 
the provinces repair to these houses, where they receive all that 
is necessary for their wants. Physicians examine their com¬ 
plaints ; they are supplied with meat and drink according to 
expedience, and medicines are administered to them. Every thing 
contributes to soothe them: those that are cured go away of 
themselves. The king A yu t having destroyed seven towers 
erected eighty-four thousand others. The great tower which 
he first erected is about three li south of the town. Before this 
town is the print of the feet of Foe ; n they have there erected a 
temple, the gate of which is turned to the tower, and faces the 
north. To the south of the tower there is a pillar about four or 
z 2 


256 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN 


five chang in circumference, and at least three chang high; upon 
this pillar is an inscription to this effect:—“ The king A yu gave 
Yan feou thi to the priesthood of the four parts ; he redeemed it 
from them with silver ; and this three times.” At three or four 
hundred paces to the north of this tower, the king A yu formerly 
built the town Ni li . 12 In the centre there is a pillar of stone, 
also three chang high, upon the summit of which is placed a 
lion. Upon this pillar is an inscription which rehearses the 
foundation of the town of Ni U, the reason for building it, and 
the year, the day, and the month. 

NOTES. 

(1) The space of one yeou pan. —About 4 miles. 

(2) The kingdom of Mo kie thi.— The name of this kingdom is transcrib¬ 
ed by other Chinese authors, Mo kia tho , and Mo kie tho ; it is Magadha , 
or South Behar, situated south of the Ganges. Fa hian is the first Chinese 
author who makes mention of this kingdom, which in A. D. 647, sent an 
embassy to the emperor Ta'i tsoung of the dynasty of the Thang. Accord¬ 
ing to the account of western countries annexed to the history of this 
dynasty, it appertained to Mid-India, and was a hundred thousand li in 
circumference. The soil is fertile and produces different kinds of grain, 
amongst others a variety of rice, called the * rice of great folks.’ The king 
resides in the town of Kiu che kie lo pou lo, called also Kiu sou mo pho la, 
and town of Po to li tsu , which extends on the north as far as the river 
King kia (Ganges). 

The memoir upon the western countries under the great Thang dynasty 
also calls it the kingdom of Mo kie tho, and gives it likewise one hundred 
thousand li in circuit. It adds that there were few large towns, but many 
villages and hamlets. The emperor Kao tsoung of the same dynasty, who 
reigned betwixt A. D. 650 and 683, dispatched as ambassador to the king¬ 
dom of Magadha Wang yuan thse, who erected a monument with an in¬ 
scription in the temple Mo ho phou thi. At a later period the emperor 
Te tsoung (780-804) presented a bell with an inscription to the temple of 
Ka lan tho. This is the last mention of Magadha in Chinese history.* 

According to the last section of the Ni phan king , Mo kia tho , or Maga¬ 
dha, signifies in Sanscrit * excess of goodness.’ —Kl. 

* Pian i tian, B. LXV. p. 8 verso. 


CHAPTER XXVII. 


257 


The Na lan tho mentioned in the foregoing note is the Nalanda of the 
Pali Buddhistical annals, situated at one yojana distant from Rajagriha. 
See note 6, Chap. XXVIII.—J. W. L. 

(3) The town of Pa lian fou, —the ancient transcription of Palibothra, 
so celebrated in classical history. Hiuan thsang names it Pho ta li tsu 
chhing , that is to say, the town of the Son of the (tree) Pho ta li. We 
shall see lower down the origin of this name, which in Sanscrit 
Pataliputra) has the same signification. The Chinese translate the latter 
part of the name putra , son , by the character tsu, having the same meaning. 
They do the like in other cases ; for instance, they express the name 
Sariputra (in Pali, Sariputto) the son of the Saras or Sari, by She li tsu, 
as well as She li fou, in which latter case the fou represents the Sanscrit 
putra, or Pali putto , as in the case of Pa lian fou of Fa hian ; for in the 
common dialect the syllable fou is pronounced fout. 

As for this transcription Pa lian fou, it coincides remarkably with the 
TlaXipftoOpa. of Arrian and Stephen of Byzance, whilst the true Sanscrit 
orthography, Pataliputra , which has no nasal after the syllable li, corre¬ 
sponds better with the TIa\lf}<j9pa of Ptolemy and Strabo. The illustrious 
Rennell has already sufficiently shown (Mem. of a Map of Hind. p. 49) 
that this town, which Arrian calls the greatest in India, and places in the 
country of the Prasii, at the embouchure of the Erranoboas into the Ganges, 
was situated in the neighbourhood of Patna, below the confluence of the 
Sone with that river. The Sone indeed bears the appellation, 
Hiranyabahu (golden arm), and Hiranyabaha (rolling gold) : 

and one of these two names has been changed by the Greeks into Errano¬ 
boas. 

The name Pataliputra given to this town, signifies the * Son of the tree 
Patalid The following extract (640 A. D.) from the ‘ Memoir regarding 
western countries under the Thang ,’ thus accounts for the origin of the 
name. 

“ To the south of the river Khing kia (Ganges) is the ancient town ; it 
is seventy li in circumference ; its site is vacant and covered with jungle : 
neither foundations nor ruins are to be seen. Formerly, when the age of 
man still consisted of innumerable years, it bore the name of Kiu sou mo 
phou lo, that is, * the city of the palace of odorous flowers,’ (in Sanscrit, 
Kusumapura, ‘ flowery town.’) The Royal palace was filled with 

flowers, and hence its name. When the age of man was no more than a 
thousand years, it was called Pho to li tsu, town of the Son of Pho to li, 
and not as formerly written, Pa lian fou. There was then a brahman en- 
z 3 



258 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


dowed with lofty faculties and immense knowledge. The number of his 
disciples amounted to a thousand, whom lie instructed in all things relating 
to the sciences. His disciples, going forth one day to promenade, observed 
one of their companions dejected and sorrowful; they asked him what 
afflicted him. He replied: ‘The most perfect beauty and strength, so 
much admired, are impeded in their progress ; the arts acquired in so many 
years and months, are not perfected ; this is that which afflicts my heart.’ 
The other disciples rallied him with pleasantry ; ‘ Come, he talks of soon 
having a son; we must have him married. Let us therefore name two 
amongst us who shall be the father and mother of the youth, and two 
who shall be the father and mother of the maiden.” They went to some 
distance, sat under the tree Po to li an d called it the tree of the 

husband of the maiden. They gathered ripe fruits, drew limpid water, and 
prepared every thing for the nuptial ceremony. He who represented the 
father of the damsel being satisfied that the time was auspicious for the 
union, took up a flowering branch and presented it to the disciple, saying, 

‘ The moment is propitious for your nuptials ; be happy and separate no 
more.’ These words filled the heart of the youth with joy. Towards 
evening, when all were about to return home, lie, absorbed in amorous con¬ 
templation, would remain behind. The other disciples said to him. “ What 
we have been doing, is a bit of mere pleasantry ; come away with us ; the 
woods are full of savage animals that will tear you to pieces.’ But the 
young man left them, and walked towards the tree. When night had spread 
out her shades, a strange light illumined the plain ; the ropes of a beautiful 
pavilion, adorned with curtains, were stretched out, and every thing pro¬ 
perly arranged. Suddenly a venerable old man, resting upon a staff, made 
his appearance, as also an old woman leading a young damsel. These 
two personages received him graciously; the way was filled with people, 
all gaily decked, and singing, and playing musical instruments. The 
old man showed him the young maiden and said * Behold your newly 
espoused !’ Feast and song and music and rejoicing were kept up for seven 
days. Meanwhile the other disciples, fearing that their companion had 
been torn by wild beasts, went in search of him. When they saw him they 
entreated him to return ; but he refused and followed not. Sometime 
afterwards, he came of his own accord to the town to visit his parents, and 
narrated to them what had happened. All who heard the tale were asto¬ 
nished. He conducted his friends to the forest, showed them the tree 
covered with flowers, and a great train of servants and slaves and horses 
coming and going. The old man approached to receive them, and enter¬ 
tained them with a dinner accompanied with music. Lastly, after that the 


CHAPTER XXVII. 


259 


master of the house had shown them every fitting attention, these friends 
returned to the town, and told of what they had seen wherever they went. 
At the end of a year a son was born (to the disciple), who then said to his 
wife, ‘ I would now return to my home ; grieve not at my departure ; and 
prevent it not ; I will come back and abide with you/ His wife imparted what 
she had heard to the old white-headed man, to whom the disciple then said, 
‘ In order that man should live happily, it is necessary that he should dwell 
in an inhabited place. Let houses therefore be constructed and think of 
nought else.’ All the servants set forthwith to work and completed the 
task in a few days. This was * the ancient town of oderiferous flowers,* 
which received of this son, and because it was constructed by the genii, was 
called ‘ the town of the Son of the Pho to li.”* 

Although the notions received from Sanscrit works by Col. Wilford with 
the assistance of his pandits are not altogether free from suspicion, I must 
not omit to state here what he says of Pataliputra, and the signification of 
the name. Kushumapura was, according to the Brahmanda, built by the 
king Udasi, grandfather of Maha Bali (called also Nanda, and Maha padma) 
Kusumapura signifies the City of flowers, and was likewise called the city 
of the Lotus, Padmavati. According to tradition its ancient site was at 
Phulwari, the name of which, in the spoken dialects, has the same significa¬ 
tion as Kusumapura. The Ganges having altered its course, this town was 
gradually removed to Phulwari, or the present Patna, also called Pataliputra, 
after the son of one form of Devi, who took the name of Patali devi, the 
slender goddess. Her son was named Pataliputra, and the town Patali - 
putra pura. This etymology of Col. Wilford’s is untenable however, as the 
name of the town is and not qTrrf^p*^. In another memoir 

Wilford places Pataliputra, or Kusumapura, ten leagues west-south-west of 
Patna,f in which he may be perfectly justified.—Kl. 

The narratives of Fa hian and Hiuan thsang leave no room to doubt 
that Patna is the true position of Palibothra. Another account of the 
mythological origin of this town is given by Mr. Ravenshaw, in the Jour¬ 
nal of the Asiatic Society for February 1845, to which I refer the reader. 

The approximate date of the foundation of this town, or of its erection 
into the capital of the empire may, I think, be ascertained with tolerable 
certainty. In the first place Pataliputra is no where mentioned (as far as I 
can ascertain) in the Buddha scriptures, although Sakya must have frequently 
passed in its neighbourhood, if not over its actual site, in his various journeys 
to and from betwixt Vaisali and Rajagriha. This negative evidence would be 
sufficient to establish the non-existence of this famous city in that age ; 
* Pian i tian, B. LXV. p. 9 v. and seq. t Asiat, Res . Vol. IX. p. 36,37. 



260 


pilgrimage of fa hian. 


and is further confirmed by a passage in the Pali Buddhistical Annals from 
which we learn that two ministers of the king of Magadha (no doubt Ajata- 
satru) were engaged in the erection of a citadel at the village of Patali, as 
a check upon the Wajjians , at the time when Sakya passed that way for the 
last time en route to Kusinagara. On that occasion he prophesied that 
Patali would become a great city, and predicted its destruction by fire, by 
water, and by treachery. It would further appear that the inhabitants of 
this village suffered great hardship and extortion by being turned out of 
their houses for a fortnight or a month at a time, to accommodate the 
officers and messengers continually passing and repassing betwixt Vaisali 
and Rajagriha. To avoid these oppressions they built an awasathagaran, 
or rest-house for the accommodation of travellers. All this quadrates well 
with Hindu accounts ; for in the Vayu (see Wilson, Vishnu Purana, p. 467,) 
Udayaswa the son of Ajdtasatru , is stated to have built Kusumapura, or 
Pataliputra, “ on the southern angle of the Ganges." This might be about 
two centuries before the reign of Chandragupta, giving ample time for the 
city to attain the extent and magnificence ascribed to it by Megasthenes. 

The condition of Pataliputra in the seventh century, as described in the 
foregoing note, sufficiently accounts for the obliteration of all trace of that 
ancient city in the present day. Nevertheless, the surrounding neighbourhood 
seems well worthy the diligent investigation of the antiquarian. J. W. L. 

(4) The younger brother of king A yu.— Hiuan thsang says he was named 
Mo hi yan tho lo, that is, * the great emperor,’ and that he was born of the 
same mother, as A yu or A soka. Mo hi yan tho lo is the Sanscrit 7 ^ 5 , 
Mahendra , which signifies pretty nearly as given above,—‘ the greatly 
powerful,’ ‘ the sovereign.’—Ki. 

The sanctified character of this Mahendra , would lead us to infer that he 
is identical with the Mahindo of the Mahavansa, the celebrated apostle of 
Buddhism in Ceylon. But in that work he is stated to be the son, and not 
the brother, of Asoka, who it will be remembered, is said to have slain all 
his brothers, save one.—J. W. L. 

(5) In the hill Khi che kiu.— This hill, situated in the kingdom of Maga¬ 
dha, and forming part of the chain which traverses-South Behar from the 
Sone to Rajmahal, will be more fully described in Chapter XXIX. It is 
named Ky ly tho lo kiu ta , in the narrative of Hiuan thsang. This is the 
transcription of the Sanscrit JZXfpT Gridhrakuta, ‘ the Peak of the Vulture.’ 
The Chinese translate the name Tsieou fung ; they call it also Ling tsieou 
fung, or ‘ Peak of the supernatural Vulture.’ This is one of the places 
where Sakya Muni longest dwelt and preached, It bears at present the 
name of Giddore in our maps.—Kl. 


CHAPTER XXVII. 


261 


(6) Ma ho yan Seng kia lan. —Monasteries of those monks who studied 

the great translation. —Kl. % 

(7) Are also called Wen chu szu li. —One of the Chinese transcriptions 
of Manjusri, a Buddhist divinity already spoken of in Note 29, Chap. XVI. 
It is also an honorific title applied to the most learned brahmans.—Kl. 

(8) Are all of the kingdom of the middle , that is, Madhyade'sa, 

in Pali, Majjadesa, or Central India. Under this title is comprised the entire 
country between Kurukshetra on the north, Allahabad on the south, the 
Himalayas to the east, and the Vindhya mountains to the west; including 
therefore the present provinces of Allahabad, Agra, Delhi, Oude, Behar, 
&c.—Kl. 

(9) The eighth day of the moon Mao —that is the fourth moon, the cha¬ 
racter Mao being the fourth of the ten signs of the cycle of twelve. It is 
the anniversary of the birthday of Sakya Muni, and is celebrated to this day 
amongst all Buddhists with the greatest solemnity. It is distinguished in the 
Court Almanac of Pekin, as * the holy birthday of Shy kia wen foe.’ The 
Mongols call it the * moon of grace/ The Kalmuks celebrate this festival 
from the 8th to the 15th of the first month of summer, and consequently 
the fourth of the year, i. e. in the middle of the month of May.—Kl. 

In my former note upon the Bauddha procession at Yu thian (see page 
21,) I omitted to mention a very singular fact which strongly confirms my 
opinion that the modern procession of Jagannath originates in the Buddhist 
practice described by Fa hian. It is this, that in the ordinary native pic¬ 
tures of the Avataras of Vishnu, the ninth avatar, ( Baud - 

dha avatar ), is represented by a figure of Jaganndth or the Rath Jdttra. 
I have failed to ascertain from pandits any explanation of this. In the 
Vishnu purana, Vishnu is represented as becoming incarnate in the per¬ 
son of Buddha, for purposes of illusion; a convenient artifice of the brah¬ 
mans to dispose of all difficulties attending the popularly admitted superna¬ 
tural character of Sakya; but this does not explain the circumstance of 
Jagannath being regarded as typifying the Bauddhavatar. The circumstance 
would seem to indicate an under current of popular tradition which had 
survived the changes of national religion and all the efforts of the priest¬ 
hood to suppress it. 

Since writing the note above alluded to, I have perused some admirable 
observations upon the intermixture of Buddhism with Hinduism by the Rev. 
Dr. Stevenson of Bombay, who upon grounds nearly similar, infers the Bud¬ 
dhist origin of the festival of Jagannath.* In the same volume is a highly 
interesting paper by the same author upon a Bauddha-Vaishnava sect in the 
* See the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society , Vol. \ II. pp. 7, 8. 


262 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


Marhatta country, in Guzerat, Central India, and the Carnatic. These 
sectaries worship Vishnu under the n^pae Pandurang , or Vitthal, whom 
they recognise as the ninth or Bauddha avatar, undertaken however, not for 
the purpose of deluding mankind, but for the more rational purpose 
instructing them and leading them in the way of salvation. In their writ¬ 
ings these sectaries speak slightingly of the Vedas, of the brahmans, and of 
Hindu superstitions; while their own practices seem to be essentially Bud¬ 
dhist. Dr. Stevenson’s paper well merits a careful perusal. The subject 
of Indian syncretisms has never yet been sufficiently studied ; and until it be 
so we can not hope to attain to any adequate comprehension of the strange 
and heterogeneous character of Hindu superstition.—J. W. L. 

(10) Medicine-house of happiness and virtue. —The Medicine-houses or 
hospitals here alluded to were very probably established in conformity with 
the commands of Asoka, the second of whose famous edicts, still extant 
upon the rocks of Dhauli and Girinar, is thus translated by the late James 
Prinsep : “ Every where within the conquered provinces of raja Piyadasi, 
the beloved of the gods, as well as in the parts occupied by the faithful, 
such as Chola , Pida, Satiyaputra , and Ketalaputra , and even as far as 
Tamba panni (Ceylon),—and moreover within the dominions of Antiochus 
the Greek (of which Antiochus’ generals are the rulers), every where the 
heaven-beloved raja Piyadasi’s double system of medical aid is establish¬ 
ed ; both medical aid for men, and medical aid for animals : together with 
medicaments of all sorts which are suitable for men and suitable for animals. 
And wherever there is not (such provision), in all such places they are to 
be prepared, and to be planted ; both root drugs and herbs, wheresoever 
there is not (a provision of them), in all such places shall they be deposited 
and planted.” 

These incidental correspondences are of infinite value in confirming the 
narrative of our pilgrim, as well as for the sure light they throw upon anci¬ 
ent manners. The reader will no doubt be reminded by the foregoing 
edict of the singular institution at Surat, known by the name the Banyan 
hospital, too often described by European visitors to require further notice 
here. The circumstance did not escape the observation of Prinsep, who 
boldly, but not without plausibility, remarks “ If proper inquiry were directed 
to this building, I dare say it would be discovered to be a living example 
(the only one that has braved twenty centuries), of the humane acts of Asoka, 
recorded at no great distance on a rock in Guzerat.”—J. W. L. 

(11) The print of the feet of Foe. —Hiuan thsang also saw and discribed 
these footprints. They were one foot eight inches long, and six inches 
broad. The prints of both feet exhibited the figure of a heel and ten toes. 


263 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

They were surrounded with garlands and speckled fishes, which shone 
With great brilliancy in serene and clear weather. Formerly, he adds, when 
the Jou lai had resolved upon entering nirvana, and was upon the point of 
proceeding towards the north to the city of Kin shi na, he looked back upon 
the kingdom of Mo kie tho, Standing upon this stone, and said to A nan : 
“ For a long time I leave the impress of these feet in the kingdom of Mo 
kie tho ; for I am about to enter extinction." One hundred years after 
the* Kin 9 ”Mout sorrow ,' Asoka, reigned, and caused a palace to be erect' 
ed in this place. He became converted by the help of the three precious 
ones, and became a servant of the divinities, as did also the kings, his sue 
cessors. He there established his abode, built there a town, and erected a 
monument over the footprints which are near the palace, and which he 
ever zealously revered. Subsequently the kings of other countries endea¬ 
voured actually to remove this stone : but however numerous the labourers 
they employed, they were wholly unable to effect their purpose. Not long 
ago (this is written in the first half of the 7th century) the king She shang 
kia, who persecuted and sought to abolish the law of Buddha, tried also to 
destroy this stone and its holy impressions ; but as often as he effaced the 
latter they were renewed in their original condition. He then caused the 
stone to be thrown into the Khing kia (Ganges) ; but the stream of that 
river reconveyed it to its ancient site.*—Kl. 

(12) And this three times .—Hiuan thsang, who visited these places 
about two hundred years subsequently, found the characters of this inscrip¬ 
tion nearly effaced. He states that its purport was « The king without 
sorrow, , firm in the faith, thrice made a gift of Jambudwipa (India) to the 
priests of the law of Buddha, and thrice redeemed it with all his pearls and 
all his treasures.!—Kl. 

It is remarkable that in none of the inscriptions of this prince yet dis¬ 
covered, is he mentioned by his historical name, Asoka, but by that of 
Piyadasi .—J. W. L. 

(13) The town of Ni li .—I nowhere find other mention of this town, 
which must be the residence mentioned in note 11.—Kl. 


* Pian i tian, B. LXV. p. 13. 


t Ibid. 


264 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


CHAPTER XXVII. 


Mountain of the Isolated Rock.—Hamlets of Nalo— New town of the Royal 
Residence.—Ancient residence of the king Ping cha.—Garden of An pho lo. 

Thence proceeding south-west, you reach, at the distance of 
nine yeou yan, the little mountain of the isolated rock . 1 On its 
summit is a stone building facing the south. Foe being seated 
there, the king of heaven, Shy,* caused the khin* to be struck by 
the celestial musicians, Pan che , 6 in honor of the Buddha. The 
Lord of Heaven, Shy, questioned him regarding the forty-two 
things, 5 drawing each with his finger upon the stone : the remains 
of these drawings still exist. In this place also there is a seng hia 
lan. Thence going towards the south-west one yeou yan, you 
come to the hamlets of Na lo . 6 It was here that She li foe T was 
born. She li foe having returned to this village, entered also 
ni houan. They there built a tower, which still exists. 

Thence going to the west the distance of one yeou yan, you 
come to the New Toivn of the Royal Residence 6 This new town 
was built by the king A che shi. In the midst there are two 
seng hia lan. On leaving by the western gate, you arrive, at the 
distance of three hundred paces, at a tower raised by king 
A che shi, when he obtained a portion of the reliques of Foe : it 
is lofty, grand, beautiful, and majestic. 

Leaving the town on the southern side, and proceeding four li 
to the south, you enter a valley which leads to the Five Hills. 
These five hills form a girdle like the walls of a town; it is the 
Ancient Town of the king Ping sha . 9 From east to west it may 
extend five or six li, and from north to south, seven or eight. 
Here is, the place where She li foe and Mou Han first beheld 
O pi ; 10 the place were Ni Man tse made a pit filled with fire, 
and served poisoned food to Foe; 11 and that where the black ele¬ 
phant of the king A che shi, li having drunk wine, sought to in¬ 
jure Foe. 


CHAPTER XXVIir. 


265 


At the north-east angle of the town, the ancients erected a 
chapel in the garden where An pho fo ' 3 invited Foe and twelve 
hundred and fifty of his disciples to do them honor; this chapel 
still exists. 

The town is entirely desert and uninhabited, 

NOTES. 

(1) The little hill of the isolated rock in Chinese, Siao kou shy shan.~ 
Hiuan thsang calls this mountain Yn tho lo shi lo kiu ho, that is, 

IndrasilaguU (‘ the cavern of the rocks of Indra.’) He states that it hath 
deep valleys abounding in flowers, woods, and bushy thickets ; its sum¬ 
mit crowned with two peaks rising strait up.*_Kl. 

We have now come to a country so abundant in Buddhist remains that 
die very number of these makes it perplexing to determine our pilgrim’s 
route. Capt. Kittoe supposes that the seng kia lan here referred to is 
Behar, near which is an isolated rock now surmounted by a Muhammadan 
shrine.f I believe that I am myself to blame for having led him into error 
upon this point, by omitting to send him, when engaged in these identifications, 
the corresponding portion of Hiuan thsang’s itinerary, in which, as will be 
seen above, this hill is denominated Yu tho lo she lo kin ho (Indrasilagukd ), 
and placed contiguous to Keou li kia,— evidently Giriyek. This establishes 
the length of the yojana in Magadha to be just miles; a value which 
answers very well for the rest of our pilgrim’s journey through that neigh¬ 
bourhood.—J. W. L. 

(2) The king of heaven, Shy /—that is, jpu, Sakra or Indra, called also 

SJ5RTTW, Sakraraja, or Sakradeva ; a word corresponding with 

the Chinese, Shy ti, or Shy thian ti. —Kl. 

(3) Caused the khin to be struck.— -The khin is a species of horizontal 
lyre with seven strings.—Kl. 

(4) The Heavenly musicians Pan che .—I nowhere find any elucidation 
of the term Pan che. —Kl. 

(5) The forty-two things .—The original character signifies affairs, but 
as Indra drew them on the stone, I have translated the word things . Hiuan 
thsang is not more lucid upon this point: “ To the south of the western 
peak (of Indrasilaguha), says he, there is a great stone edifice on a precipice ; 
extensive, but not high. In olden times, when the Jou lai established his 

* Plan i tian, B. LXV. p.64. 
t J. A. S . Vol. XVI. p. 954. 

2 A 


266 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN, 


abode there, the emperor of Heaven, Shy (Indra) drew forty-two doubtful 
matters upon the stone, and beseeched Foe to explain them fully. These 
tracings of Indra remain to this day.”* The Szu shy eul chang king , the 
first Buddhist work translated from the Sanscrit into Chinese, has its title 
from allusion to this circumstance.—Kl. 

The book here alluded to would appear to contain the Dogmatics, or the 
Metaphysics of Buddhism. It consists of forty-two Sutras, or brief aphor¬ 
isms, which are supposed to embody the whole doctrine of the Honorable 
of the World, the entire spirit of the Scripture and the Law. Buddha, 
according to the work in question, having attained the height of his mission, 
having finished his doctrine, and vanquished all his enemies, sat in deep 
silence, absorbed in meditation. His disciples surrounded him ; he resolved 
their doubts and instructed them in the Law. He explains the duties, virtues, 
gifts of the priesthood ; discusses the ten virtues and the ten vices of the body 
and the soul, the nature of good and of wicked people, together with the 
cause of causes, or the cawse of all effects. The work is most probably 
apocryphal; or it may be an abridgment of the 21 volumes of the Sher- 
phyin (Prajnd Paramita ), or discourses which treat of the logic, psycho¬ 
logy, and metaphysics of the Buddhists, and which are stated to have been 
delivered by Sakya 16 years after his attainment of Buddhahood, or in the 
51st of his age, on the Gridhrakuta hill, near Rajagriha. Amongst his 
numerous auditory was Indra, as intimated by Fa hian; and these put a 
question several times to Sakya. He gives them no direct reply, but forms 
such propositions as lead them to the proper decision. See M. de Kbros, 
Analysis of the Sher-chin, As. Res. Vol.XX. p. 399. Recurring to the Chinese 
work alluded to by M. Klaproth, it was translated into Chinese, according 
to M. Neumann, from the Sanscrit by Kea ye mo tang and Chufa lan. The 
celebrated Chu he or Chu fu tse says, that in this work the doctrine of Buddha 
is explained in very easy intelligible language ; but that, generally speaking, it 
contains only the idle and fruitless speculations of Lao tsze and Chwang tsze. 
M. Neumann, from whose Catechism of the Shamans (more correctly Shami) 
I gather these particulars, gives the following specimen of the work:— 
(Buddha loquitur) “ My religion consists in thinking the inconceivable 
thought; my religion consists in going the impassable way ; my religion con¬ 
sists in speaking the ineffable word ; my religion consists in practising the 
impracticable practicea sample which the reader will perhaps deem 
sufficient!—J. W. L. 

(6) The Hamlets of Na lo.— Hiuan thsang calls this place Kin lo pi na 
kia, and adds that it was the birthplace of the venerable She li tsou. He 
* Pian i tian, B. LV. p, 64. 


CHAPTER XXYlii. 267 

fcdds also, that when that personage entered nirvana, a tower was there 
erected over his ashes.*—Kl. 

The hamlet here spoken of is the Nalanda, or Nalada, of the b Kah- 
h Gyur and the Pali Buddhistical Annals. In the latter it is stated to be one 
yojana distant from Rajagriha. It seems to have been a favorite resort of 
the learned in those times of high debate, a second Academia ; and to have 
been sometimes bestowed by the king as a prize on the most successful dis¬ 
putant, or withdrawn from the actual possessor, in the case of defeat, for pre¬ 
sentation to his victor. See de Koros, Analysis of the Dul-va. Sakya is 
ferquently mentioned in the scriptures as resorting to Nalada for the pur¬ 
pose of discussion or instruction.—J. W. L. 

(7) She li foe .—She li foe (in Sanscrit, Sariputra) is one of 

the most famous disciples of Buddha. He was the son of a very learned 
brahman. His mother saw in a dream an extraordinary man holding in his 
hand a diamond mace, with which he demolished all the hills with the ex¬ 
ception of one, before which he humbled himself. The father took this 
dream for a good omen, announcing a son of great wisdom, who should 
destroy all false doctrine in the world and be the disciple of the man par 
excellence ,—Buddha.—Kl. 

(8) Entered nirvana .—In a Mongolian work translated from the San¬ 
scrit, and entitled Uligerun dala'i, (the Sea of Parables) we read ; “ When 
Sariputra learnt that Buddha was bent on entering nirvana, he experienced 
profound sorrow, and said to himself; * It is soon indeed and contrary to 
all expectation that the Tathagata hath resolved upon entering nirvana : who 
after him will be the protector and shield of souls and of beings enve¬ 
loped in darkness V He then said to Buddha, “ It is impossible for me 
to witness the nirvana of Buddha.” Thrice be repeated these words, when 
Buddha replied ; “ If thou believest thy time come, then do thy will like 
all the Khutukhtu (in Sanscrit, Nirmmdnkaya , incarnations) who enter the 
nirvana of tranquillity.” Sariputra having heard these words of Buddha, 
arranged his dress; and having a hundred times walked round Buddha, he 
repeated a great number of verses in praise of him. He then embraced the 
feet of the latter, placed them thrice upon his head, and joining the palms 
of his hands, said, ** I have been found worthy to approach the gloriously 
accomplished Buddha.” He then worshipped Buddha, and proceeded with 
bis servant, the priest Yonti , to Rajagriha, his native town. When arrived 
there, he said to Yonti, ** Go into the town, into the suburbs, and to the 
palace of the king, and to the houses of the high functionaries and of 
such as give alms, and thus say to them : 11 The Khutukhtu Sariputra hath 

* Plan i tian, p, 12. 


2 a 2 


268 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


resolved upon entering nirvana ; come and prostrate yourselves before him/* 
The priest Yonti executed the order of his master, went to the places indi¬ 
cated, and thus delivered his message : “ The Khutukhtu Sariputra hath 

arrived here; if you would visit him, come without delay.” When the king 
Aj&tasatru , the dispensers of alms, the great dignitaries, the officers of the 
army, and the heads of families heard this announcement, they were all 
filled with sorrow, and with heavy hearts said, “ Ah ! what will become of 
ns when the second head of the law, the leader of so many beings, the 
Khutukhtu Sariputra shall have entered nirvana 1” Hurriedly they pro¬ 
ceeded towards him, bowing down and saying, “ Khutukhtu! if thou be- 
comest nirvana, who shall be our protector, and that of so many other 
beings?” Sariputra then addressed them the following words : “ Since all 
is perishable, the end of all is death. As ye, too, belong to this world of 
turment, ye too, will not remain long : death will come and terminate your 
career. But as you all, in consequence of meritorious works in a former 
existence, have had the happiness of being born in the world with Buddha, 
and that too in the human form, do you add other accumulative merits, and 
accomplish such works as shall save you from Sansara.” When Sariputra 
had finished preaching thus to the bystanders the inexhaustible law, and had 
comforted their spirits with salutary medicaments, they bowed down before 
the Khutukhtu, and each returned to his home. After midnight, Sariputra 
sat in a perfectly erect position; gathered all the faculties of his soul; 
directed these upon one point, and entered the first Dhydna. Thence he 
entered the second ; thence, the third ; and from the third, the fourth. From 
the fourth he passed into the Samddhi of the births of boundless celestial 
space; then into the Samddhi of the births of complete nihility. From this 
Samadhi he entered that of 1 neither thinking nor not thinking ;* then into 
that of limitation; and lastly into Nirvana. 

“ When Khourmousda, the king of the Gods, learnt of the nirvana of Sa¬ 
riputra, he came with several hundreds of thousands in his suite, bearing 
flowers, perfumes, and other' objects meet for sacrifice. They diffused them¬ 
selves through the whole space of heaven ; their tears fell like rain; they 
scattered their flowers so as to cover the earth, saying, “Oh! he whose 
wisdom was as the depth of the sea, who had passed through all the gates 
of knowledge, whose musical speech flowed sweetly as a running stream ; 
who was perfect in the fulfilment of every duty, in self-contemplation, in all 
wisdom ; the sublime chief of the doctrine, the excellent Khutukhtu Sari¬ 
putra hath too hastily entered nirvana. Who shall succeed the gloriously 
accomplished Buddha and Tathagata, to spread abroad the law ?” All the 
inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood, as soon as they were apprised of 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 


269 


the nirvana of Sariputra, came bearing much oil, perfumes, flowers, and 
other things appropriate for sacrifice. They wept loudly with accents of 
woe and sorrow, placing upon the ground the objects fit for the sacrifices. 
Khourmousda, the prince of the gods, then commanded Vishwamitra to 
prepare a car of various precious materials for the body of Sariputra. When 
the car was finished the corpse of Sariputra, was placed thereon in a sitting 
position, and taken forth to a beautiful plain, all the while the Nagas, the 
Yakshas, the king, the commanders of the army, the officers and the whole 
people uttering cries of sorrow. There they raised a pile of chandana 
(sandal) wood. After moistening it with oil and butter, they place upon it 
the body of Sariputra and applied fire. Then all bowed down and each 
went to his home. When the fire was completely extinguished, the priest 
Yonti collected from the ashes the sarira of his master and conveyed them 
as well as his pot and ecclesiastical dress, to Buddha. He placed these 
things at the feet of Buddha, announcing at the same time the death of his 
master. When Ananda learnt this from the lips of Yonti, he was much 
grieved and said to Buddha, “ Oh Buddha ! the first of our band has enter¬ 
ed nirvana ; to whom now shall we unbosom ourselves, and whom shall we 
regard as our protecting sun ?” Buddha replied; “ Ananda! although 
Sariputra hath entered nirvana, neither the charge of your duties, nor sama- 
dhi, nor understanding, nor plenary redemption, nor the prajna of plenary 
redemption, nor the nature of occult properties hath become so ; moreover, 
many generations ago Sariputra once became nirvana, because he could not 
endure to see me enter upon nirvana.”—Kl. 

(8) The new town of the royal Residence .—That is the new 
Rajagriha ; in Pali Rajagaha, * or royal residence.’ This name is transcrib¬ 
ed in Chinese, Lo yue khi. Asoka left this town and transferred the seat 
of his government to Pataliputra.—Kl. 

M. Klaproth forgets that Pataliputra was the seat of government in the 
time of Chandragupta, the grandfather of Asoka. 

That indefatigable antiquary, Capt. M. Kittoe, undeterred by the incle¬ 
mency of the season, paid a hurried visit to this interesting locality in July 
last, and has published the results of his investigations in the Journal of the 
Asiatic Society, Vol. XVI. pp. 953—970. His paper is of the highest 
interest, and leads me to hope that much more remains for him to discover 
should he be able to revisit the spot at a more propitious time of the year. 
Speaking of the modern (or perhaps I should say less ancient ) Rajagriha, 
Capt. Kittoe observes,—" An immense embankment, called Assurein, still 
exists, as well as extensive mounds of bricks and rubbish ; sufficient remains 
of the citadel to show its form, a parallelogram with numerous bastions; 

2 A 3 


270 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA ttlAN. 


but these appear to have been the work of later times. * * * About the 
distance westward mentioned by Fa hian, there exists a tumulus called the 
Awa or Punzawa , which is no doubt the tower where Buddha’s relics were 
placed by A che shi. Buchanan describes this remarkable mound which 
want of leisure prevented me inspecting closely." If it be what Capt. 
Kittoe conjectures, indeed whatever “it be, this mound seems well deserving 
of very particular examination.—J. W. L. 

(9) The ancient town of the king Ping sha : —The ancient Rajagriha. 
Hiuan thsang writes this name Kho lo che kg li hi; a corrupted orthogra¬ 
phy, but one under which Rajagriha is still concealed, for Hiuan thsang 
translates the word ‘ royal residence , or house. 1 Ping sha is the transcrip, 
tion of Bimbasara.—Kl. 

“ The appearance of this valley and the hills is very striking," says Capt. 
Kittoe ; “ every peak has a name and a small Jain temple crowning it, this 
sect holding the whole neighbourhood sacred, which is very remarkable. * * 
It is fully two miles or 4 li to the site of the old town, which is now called 
Hansu Tanr; this must have been a very large place when in its glory, and, 
as described, is skirted by hills, five of which are more conspicuous than the 
rest, and are called respectively, Ratna Giri, Bipla Giri, Baibhar Giri, Sona 
Giri, and Udhaya Giri. To proceed ; first of all as to the chapel in the north¬ 
ern hill, on the left or west side of the pass is a chamber called Sone Bhun- 
dar, of precisely the same shape as those of Burabur. There are sockets to 
admit of timber roofing on the exterior of the cave, and there have been build¬ 
ings extending to some distance in front. It would be interesting to clear the 
rubbish here. There are several short inscriptions and some of the shell 
shape; one has some resemblance to the Chinese. There are no Pali let¬ 
ters ; but the cave has been sadly ill-used by a zemindar who tried to blow 
it up with powder many years ago, hoping to find hidden treasure, and a 
large piece of rock has been broken away at the very spot where we should 
have expected to find an inscription. * * * * To the south of this cave, 
(near the centre of the town ?) is a high tumulus, the site of a dagope, or 
chaitya, on which is a small Jain temple. From this elevated spot a good 
view is to be had of the valley and of the pass and plains beyond, looking 
over Rajagriha nearly due north ; to the east the valley grows narrower for 
a mile or so, and thence two valleys branch off, one leading to the Gidhona 
peak, so called from the vultures which perch and build there, the other to 
Tupobun, where there are hot wells. * * * * Leaving the tumulus and 
proceeding southward, the road winds at the foot of Sona Giri, close to a 
low ledge of laterite, forming a terrace as‘even as if cut by masons; this 
place is called Bheem Sen’s Ukhara, or wrestling-place. The many inden- 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 


271 


tations and cavities peculiar to such formations, are supposed by the igno¬ 
rant to be marks left by the wrestlers. Continuing to the southward to¬ 
wards Udhaya Giri , the road is formed in the bare rock, in which occur 
many short inscriptions in the shell pattern, and other curious forms, but 
. much worn and some overgrown with moss and rubbish. I deemed this to 
he great curiosities, and think that if a clearance were made, more (and 
perfect ones) would be discovered. About a quarter of a mile further is a 
tumulus overgrown with jungle, and near it the remains of some extensive 
buildings. This tumulus may be one of the towers mentioned by Fa 
Man.” These researches are extremely interesting ; but we must not be 
hasty in our identifications, as it is evident that much remains to be ex¬ 
plored in this little trodden field. The caves in particular are deserving of 
the most minute investigation, for there can be little doubt that they are 
among the most ancient in India, perhaps taking precedence even of those of 
Burabur. The five hills surrounding Rajagriha are named in the Pali An¬ 
nals* Gijjhakuto, Isigili , Webharo, Wepullo, and Pandaivo. Among these 
we may easily recognise the Pali forms of Bdibhar Giri and Bipla 
Giri, in Webharo and Wepullo . It will be remembered that the Sat- 
tapani cave was in the former (Webhara) hill, and that the hall of the 
first convocation was in front of that cave ; which I make no doubt is the Son 
Bhundar cave described above. See my note 6 to Chapter XXX.^—J. W. L. 

(10) Saivfor the first time 0 pi. —I take 0 pi to be the same personage 

as the bhikshu named by Hiuan thsang A shy pho shi, Aswajit, 

“ that goeth on horse back.”) He narrates how Sariputra met this devotee 
in the town of Rajagriha, and that it was he that instructed Sariputra in 
the law.—Kl. 

(11) Served Foe with poisoned food,— This event is thus recorded by 

Hiuan thsang: “At a short distance from the place where She li foe 
(Sariputra) was instructed in the law, there is a deep and wide fosse along 
side of w T hich is erected a tower. It is there that Shy li khieou to (‘ the 
handsome concealed,’ in Sanscrit Sirgudha ) in order to injure Foe, 

dug a pit which he filled with fire, and served him with poisoned food. This 
Shy li khieou to was attached the creed of the heretics and was ever ready for 
mischief. He invited many to a banquet in his house, before the gate of 
which was a deep pit filled with fire and only covered over with decayed sticks 
upon which he had scattered some dry earth. Besides this, all the dishes 
were poisoned with different kinds of poison, so that such as escaped death 
in the fiery pit might fall victims to the food. The inhabitants of the 


* J. A.S, Vol. VII. p. 996. 


272 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


town knowing that Shy li kliieou to indulged implacable hatred to the 
Honorable of the Age, urgently intreated the latter not to place himself in 
the way of danger. The Honorable of the Age replied ; “ Be not uneasy ! 
the person of a Tathagata cannot be injured thus.” He saluted them 
and set forth. At the instant of his setting foot on the threshold of the 
door, the pit of fire became changed into a limpid pool, clear as a mirror, 
and covered with the floating flowers of the lotus. When Shy li khieou to 
witnessed this he was downcast and sad ; nevertheless he said to his disci¬ 
ples, “ By his art he has escaped the fiery pit; but there still remain the 
poisoned meats.” But the Honorable of the Age, after having partaken of 
these, expounded the admirable law. Shy li khieou to having listened to 
his discourse, solicited pardon, confessed his crimes, and amended his con¬ 
duct.*—Kl. 

(12) The black elephant of king A che shi. —Hiuan thsang does not 
accuse A che shi (Ajatasatru) of this sin ; but he states that Devadatta being 
with this prince and his relatives and friends, let loose an elephant which he 
had intoxicated, in the hope of injuring the Tathagata; but the latter merely 
made a signal with his hand, when immediately there came forth four lions 
before which the drunken elephant became quiet and humble.f 

A Mongolian legend of the life of Buddha, which I have published, re¬ 
counts this miracle in very nearly the same manner. “ Devadatta, uncle 
of Sakya Muni, exhibited his animosity anew by bringing to his neighbour¬ 
hood a tame elephant which he had caused to drink a large quantity of 
palm-wine till his thrist was assuaged. He fixed to the accoutrements of 
this elephant two sharp swords, and let loose the intoxicated animal upon 
Goodam (Sakya Muni), believing that he would vent his rage against the 
hermit. But the latter merely raised the five fingers of his hand, when the 
elephant took him for a lion and became quiet.—Kl. 

(13) An pho lo. —This is the same An pho lo of whom an account is 
given in note 4, Chap. XXV. According to the Dul-va, she bore a son to 
Bimbasara, namedin Tibetan Gyhon-nu-Hjigs-med, or the ” intrepid youth 

a circumstance which sufficiently accounts for her possessing a fine garden 
at Rajagriha, as well as one at Vaisali.—J. W. L. 

* Plan i tian, B. LXV, p. 48. 
t Pian i tian, ibid, 
f Journal Asiatique, T. IV. p. 22. 


CHAPTER XXIX. 


2/3 


CHAPTER XXIX. 


Peak of Khi che.—The demon Phi siun changes himself into a Vulture.—Terror 
of A nan.—Throne of the four Buddhas.—Stone thrown at Foe by Thiao tha 
—Fa hian’s sacrifice. 

Entering the valley and going to the mountains above fifteen li 
to the south-east, you arrive at the Peak of Khi che' Three li be¬ 
fore reaching the summit of the mountain you come to a cavern 
situated amongst the rocks and facing the south. Foe was seated 
there in meditation. At thirty paces to the north-east there is a 
stone grot; A nan was sitting there in meditation. The demon of 
heaven, Phi shin* transformed into a vulture, stopped before 
the grot and terrified A nan . Foe by his supernatural power, open¬ 
ed the rock, took A nan by the arm with his hand, and re¬ 
moved his fear. The trace of the bird, and the hole through 
which Foe protruded his hand exist still. It is from this cir¬ 
cumstance that the hill is called the Hill of the cave of the Vul¬ 
ture. Before the cave is the place of the throne of the four Bud- 
has. 3 All the Arhans likewise, had each his cave where they sat 
to meditate. The number of these caves is several hundreds. 

Foe, being in front of the stone house, was passing from the east 
to the west. Thiao tha , standing on the steep edge towards the 
north of the mountain, threw down a stone which wounded Foe 
on the toe : 4 this stone still exists. The hall in which Foe taught 
the doctrine is in ruins ; there are but the foundations of a brick 
wall remaining. The peaks of these hills are regular and majes¬ 
tic ; they are the loftiest of the five mountains. 

Fa hian having purchased in the new town perfumes, flowers, 
and oil-lamps, hired two aged Pi khieou to conduct him to the 
grots and to the hill Khi che. After having made an oblation 
of the perfumes and the flowers, the lamps increased the brilli- 



274 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN* 


ance. Grief and emotion affected him even to tears ; he said, 
“ Formerly, in this very place was Foe; here he taught the Sheou 
leng yan : Fa hian , unable to behold Foe in life, has but wit¬ 
nessed the traces of his sojourn. Still, it is something to have 
recited the Sheou leng yan before the cave, and dwelt there one 
night.” 


NOTES. 

(1) The Peak of Khi che ,—in Sanscrit Gridhrakula, or the Peak of the 
\ ulture. It is one of those hills situated about 25° N, Lat. at the sources 
of the Dahder and Banurah rivers. The origin of its name we learn from 
the legend given in the text by Fa hian. Other Buddhist writers affirm 
however that it receives its name from its resemblance to a vulture.* “ The 
Tathagata, says Hiuan thsang, when he had attained the age of fifty years, 
dwelt much in this mountain and there preached the admirable law.—Kl. 

The position of this hill is too well defined to be mistaken : it was fifteen 
li south-east from the valley leading from the new to the ancient Rajagriha. 
What was the length of the lit Fa Ulan, lu the next chapter, states the 
distance of the Bamboo gardens of Kia lan tho from the north of the town 
to be three hundred paces; Hiuan thsang calls the same distance 1 li . 
Taking 300 paces to be equal to 250 yards, this would give 7 li to a mile. 
To test this ; Hiuan thsang makes the distance of the Ganges in a north¬ 
east direction from Keou li kia (Giriyek) 220 or 230 li. The direct dis¬ 
tance on RennePs map is 30 miles, which gives pretty exactly the same 
value to the li, viz. of 7 to the mile. Ki chhe was therefore about 2fth 
miles S. E. from the entrance of the valley, and cannot be identical with 
Guddeh dwar, as supposed by Capt. Kittoe, that hill being by far too dis¬ 
tant to correspond with our pilgrim’s account, or with those of other autho¬ 
rities, which represent Gridhrakuta as one of the hills surrounding the 
“ mountain-girt city” like a wall. It was very famous as the place where 
Sakya delivered his instructions on the Prajnd Pdramitd, which occupy 21 

volumes of the Bauddha Scriptures. See my note 5. Chap. XXVIII._ 

J. W. L. 

(2) The demon of Heaven Phi siun this is one of the names of M6ra 
and signifies according to the Shy kia phou, ‘ the wicked in Sanscrit, 
fq"23*r Pisuna. 

* Fan i mins' V> quoted in San tsang fa sou , B. XXIV. p. 20 v, 


CHAPTER XXIX. 


275 


Hiuan thsang details this event in the following terms: “ Before the 

stone dwelling of Buddha, is a flat stone ; it is there that A nan experienced 
the dread of Mara. The venerable A nan being there absorbed in medita¬ 
tion, the king of the Maras took the form of a vulture ; and during a dark 
night unillumined by the moon, he smote the rocks, stretched forth his 
wings, and uttered frightful cries to terrify the Venerable ; who indeed was 
seized with unbounded fear. The Tathagata, through his omniscience, per¬ 
ceived this ; and in a kindmanner stretched forth his hand, passed it through 
the rock, and laid it upon the head of A nan, saying graciously, * Fear 
not, A nan ! it is Mara thus transformed.’ A nan took heart, and became 
calm. The marks of the bird are still visible upon the rock, and in the 
cleft the hole through which passed (the hand of Buddha.”)*—Kl. 

(3) The place of the throne of the four Buddhas, —that is to say, of Sakya 
Muni, Kasyapa, Kanaki Muni, and Krakuchchanda, who have already ap¬ 
peared in the Bhadra Kalpa, or present epoch of the world.—Kl. 

(4) A stone which wounded Foe on the toe. —This event is the eighth of 
the nine tribulations to which Sakya Muni was subjected in expiation of 
faults committed in anterior existences. He thus himself explains the 
cause of this blow inflicted by Devadatta ; “ In former times there was in 
the town of Lo yue Jchi (Rajagriha) a grandee named Siu than. His 
family was opulent; he had a son named Siu mo thi. The father Siu than, 
having ended his days, Siu mo thi, who had a younger brother by a differ¬ 
ent mother, named Siu ye she, was unwilling to divide his property with 
the younger brother. One day he took this brother by the hand, and as¬ 
cended with him to the summit of Khi che khiu; when arrived on the 
brink of the precipice he pushed him down and cast stones upon him, and thus 
killed the younger brother.” Foe gave the following explanation to She li 
foe; “The grandee, named Siu than, was the king my father, Pe thsing ; 
Siu mo thi , was myself; and Siu ye she was Thi pho tha to (Devadatta)* 
It was in consequence of this my former act, that when walking on the edge 
of mount Khi che khiu, Thi pho tha to detached a stone from the precipice 
to throw at my head. The genius of the mountain diverted the stone, so 
that but a small corner of it touched the great toe of my foot, and caused 
blood to flow.”f—Kl. 

(6) The Sheou leng yam —the title of a work containing the instructions 
of Sakya Muni. The Ta chi lun explains Sheou leng yan to signify in 
Sanscrit, “ things which are difficult to distinguish from each other/’—Kl, 

* Plan i tian, B. LXV. p. 49 v. 
f San t$an§ fa sou,B, XXXIV. p,21. 


276 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HI AN. 


CHAPTER XXX. 


Bamboo gardens of Kia lan tho.-Shi mo she na, or the Cemetery.-Grot of Pin 
pho lo.—Stone-house of Chhe ti.—First collection of the sayings of Foe.— 
Cavern of Thiao tha.—Black stone of Pi khieou. 

He then issued from the old town to return to the new. Pro¬ 
ceeding ,to the north three hundred paces, he saw to the west 
of the road the Bamboo gardens of Kia lan tho where was 
constructed a chapel, which remains to this day ; ecclesiastics 
sweep and water it. To the north of the chapel, at the distance 
of two or three li, is the Shi mo she na. Shi mo she na, signi¬ 
fies in Chinese, the Field of Tombs where they lay the dead . 2 On 
crossing the southern mountain and proceeding westward three 
hundred paces, there is a stone building called the Grot of Fin 
pho lo . 3 Foe, after his meals, habitually sat in this place to 
meditate. Five or six li more westerly, to the north of the 
mountain and in a shady spot, there is a stone house named 
Chhe tif it is the place where, after the ni houan of Foe, five 
hundred Arhans arranged the collection of the sacred books. 
When these sacred books were published, they prepared three 
vacant thrones sumptuously adorned ; She li foe was on the left, 
Mou lian on the right. Amongst those five hundred Arhans, one 
alone was wanting ; it was A nan, , who, when the Great Kia se 5 
ascended the throne, was outside the gate without ability to enter. 8 
They have erected in this place a tower, which exists to this day. 
Beyond the mountains there are other caves, where the Arhans 
sat and meditated ; and of these there are a great number. 

Issuing from the ancient town and descending three li towards 
the north-east, you come to the stone cavern of Thiao thad 
Fifty paces further there is a great square black stone. There 


CHAPTER XXX. 


2 77 

was formerly a Pi Jchieou , who in passing up, pondered thus to 
himself: "This body is not lasting; it is subject to pain, void, 
and exposed to uncleanness.” Considering the weariness and 
the vexation of his body, he drew his dagger, and was about to 
destroy himself: then he reflected anew, “ The Honorable of the 
Age has established a law* that no one should destroy his own 
life.” He reflected again ; “ Be it so,” said he; “ but I seek this 
day only to destroy three mortal foes!” and stabbed himself. 
When he began wounding himself, he became Siu tho wan; 
when he had half done, he became A na han ; when he had 
completed all, he became Arhan y and truly entered into ni houan. 

NOTES. 

(1) The Bamboo Garden of Kia lan tho.~ Hiuan thsang states that this 
garden was situated one It from the northern gate of the Mountain city. 
In his time there was a chapel built of bricks upon a stone foundation, the 
gate of which faced the west. It was a place where the Tathagata often 
dwelt and expounded the doctrine, performed miracles and led all beings to 
salvation. There was an image of the Tathagata and of many other Tatha- 
gatas. There was in former times a grandee in this town whose name was 
Kia lan tho; he was very rich and distributed his bounty to all the heretics 
in his 1 Bamboo Garden Having however seen the Tathagata and heard 
his doctrine, he purified himself by faith, and ceased to enjoy the intercourse 
of the band of heretics who dwelt in the ‘ Garden of Bamboos.' Then, be¬ 
fore the instructor of gods and men came to occupy the dwelling, the genii 
and demons, to reward Kia lan tho, expelled the heretics, saying, “ The 
chief Kia lan tho, would raise a chapel to Buddha in the Garden of Bamboos; 
leave therefore, that you may avoid all mischief.” The heretics, though 
greatly enraged, were obliged to digest their spleen, and left the garden. 
The chief erected his chapel, and when it w r as complete, himself came and 
entreated Tathagata to take possession of it.*—Kl. 

This is the Q ( hod-mahi-tshal 

bya-ka-lan-da-kahi. gnas ) of the Tibetan scriptures; in Sanscrit, Venu- 
vanam Kalandalcd nivasa : stated in the Dulva to have been presented to 
Sakya by Bimbasara. It is called Weluwano in the Mahawansa ; a corrup¬ 
tion, I presume, of the Sanscrit name. It was here that Sakya converted 
Sarihibu, or Saradwati, and Mongalyana.—J. W. L. 

* Plan i tian, B. LXV. pp, 52, 53. 

2 B 


278 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


(2) The field of tombs. —The word Shi mo she na is the transcription of 

the Sanscrit signifying cemetery.— Kl. 

(3) The grot of Pin pho lo — None of the learned commentators on Fa 
liian proposes any restoration of this name. It is elsewhere written Pi pho 
lo, and appears to me very plainly the Chinese transcript of Baibhara , in 
Pali Webharo, the name of the hill in which was situated the Sattapanni 
cave. See note 9, Chap. XXVIII.—J. W. L. 

(4) A stone house named Chhe it. —Hiuan thsang does not give the name 
of this edifice, but states that it was situated five or six li to the south-west 
of the garden of Bamboos, on the northern side of the mountain, and in a 
great forest of bamboos. After the nirvana of the Tathagata, he adds, the 
venerable Maha Kasyapa, with nine hundred and ninety-nine Arhans, there 
made the collection of the three treasures.*—Kl. 

(5) The great Kia she; Maha Kasyapa.—Kl. 

(6) Without ability to enter. —The circumstance alluded to is thus detailed 
in the Mahavansa. After describing the erection of the hall of the first 
convocation in front of the Satapanni cave in the Webhara mountain, the 
narrative proceeds : “ The king thus reported to the theros: ‘ Our task is 
performed/ Those theros then addressed Anando, the delight (of an 
audience). ** Anando, to-morrow is the convocation ; on account of thy still 
being under the dominion of human passions thy presence there is inadmis¬ 
sible : exert thyself without intermission, and attain the requisite qualifica¬ 
tion.” The thero, who had been thus enjoined, having exerted a superna¬ 
tural effort, and extricated himself from the dominion of human passions, 
attained the sanctification of “ Arahat.” On the second day of the second 
month of “ Wasso,” these disciples assembled in this splendid hall. Re¬ 
serving for the thero Anando, the seat appropriated to him alone, the other 
sanctified priests took their places according to their seniority. While 
some of them were in the act of enquiring, “ Where is the thero Anando ?” 
in order that he might manifest to the (assembled) disciples that he had 
attained the sanctification of “ Arahat,”—(at that instant) the said thero 
made his appearance, emerging from the earth, and passing through the 
air (without touching the floor) ; and took his seat in the pulpit specially 
reserved for him.” 

A much fuller and very amusing account of these particulars may be 
found in Mr. Tumour’s examination of the Pali Buddhisticai Annals ; but 
this volume has already extended so much beyond the limits I originally 
prescribed, that I cannot afford space to insert it. The reader is referred to 

* Pian i tian, B. LXV. p. 53 v. 

GescUichte der Ost Mongolien, p. 312, 


CHAPTER XXX. 


2 79 


the Journal of the Asiatic Society , Vol. VI. pp. 510, 518. The scene of the 
first convocation I have, in a foregoing note (9, Chap. XXVIII.), attempted 
to identify; and I trust that Capt. Kittoe may again have an opportunity of 
bringing his great antiquarian zeal to bear upon that deeply interesting 
locality.—J. W. L. 

(7) The stone cavern of Thiao tha. Thiao thais the transcription, as we 
have already seen, of Devadatta. Hiuan thsang places the great stone 
building in which this personage yielded himself up to meditation, at the 
distance of two or three li east of the northern gate of the mountain city to 
the left, in the shadow of the southern slope of the hill. 

Devadatta, who was during life the enemy and persecutor of Buddha, is 
generally regarded as an incarnation of Mara (the malificent spirit). Such 
incarnations tend only to exalt and to bring out in all their glory the Bud¬ 
dhas and their doctrine. A Mongolian work translated by M. Schmidt, 
says upon this subject, “ Men whose spirits are darkened maintain and be¬ 
lieve that Devadatta was the antagonist, enemy, and persecutor of Buddha. 
If during the five hundred generations that Buddha Tathagata followed the 
path of a Bodhisattwa, the illustrious Bogda Devadatta proved him with all 
manner of evil and contradiction ; this was but to fortify the excellence and 
surpassing qualities of the Bodhisattwa. Thus unenlightened men commit 
sin when they hold and teach that Devadatta was an enemy and persecutor 
of Buddha Tathagata, and by such discourse they give occasion to their own 
regeneration in the three abject conditions (those of brutes, demons, and 
denizens of hell). The accumulated virtues of the illustrious Bogda Deva¬ 
datta are immense ; the services he hath rendered to many Buddhas extra¬ 
ordinary, and thus has he contributed to the germ of the root of meri¬ 
torious works. He belongs moreover to those Mahasattwas, who have 
truly fathomed the means of salvation, and have approached the dignity 
of a Buddha Tathagata. Those therefore who regard him with hatred 
and aversion, cause thereby their own injury and their rebirth in the 
three abject conditions.”—Kl. 

(8) A law .—The law here alluded to is mentioned in the Dulva (Vol. V. 
p. 162 to 239) ; where, in consequence of several instances of suicide among 
the monks, out of grief and despair at the miseries of human life, Sakya 
prohibits discourses upon that subject. So that the practice of self-immo¬ 
lation ascribed by the Greek historians to the Buddhists, was, like that of 
going naked, a departure from orthodox principles.—J. W. L. 


2b2 


280 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


CHAPTER XXXI. 


Town of Kia ye.—Place where Foe lived six years in austerities.—Place where 
he accomplished the Law.—He is exposed to the attacks of a demon. —Other 
holy places.—Four great towers in honor of Foe. 

Proceeding thence four yeou yan 1 to the west, you come to the 
town of Kia ye.* This town is also completely desert. Continuing 
twenty li to the south, you come to the place where the Phou 
sa spent six years in mortifications : 3 the place is wooded. Thence 
three li to the west, you come to the place where Foe descended 
into the water to bathe; the gods held branches of trees to 
cover him 4 at his exit from the tank. Two li further to the 
north you come to the place where the young women of retired 
families offered Foe rice and milk . 5 Thence two li to the north 
Foe, seated on a stone under a great tree, and looking to the 
east, eat the rice : the tree and the stone still exist. The stone 
may be six feet long and the same broad, and two feet high. In 
the Kingdom of the Middle the heat and the cold are so equal 
and temperate, that there are trees which live several thousand 
years, yea even ten thousand years. 

Thence going half a yeou yan to the north-east you come to 
a stone grot; the Phou sa having entered it, and having turned to 
the west, sat with his legs crossed and pondered in his heart: 
“ In order that I should accomplish the law, it is necessary that 
I should have a divine testimonial.” Immediately on the stone 
wall the shadow of Foe depicted itself: it appeared three feet high, 
and the weather was clear and brilliant. The heaven and the 
earth were much moved, and all the gods in space said ; “ This 
is not the place where the Foes past and to come should 
accomplish the law. At the distance of a little more than half 
a yeou yan to the south-west, under the tree Pei to 6 is the place 
where all the Foes past and to come should accomplish the law.” 


CHAPTER XXXI. 


281 


Tlie gods, having thus spoken, proceeded before him, sang, and 
showed him the way on withdrawing. The Phou sa rose, and 
when he was at the distance of thirty paces from the tree* a god 
gave him th e grass of happy omen : 7 the Phou sa took it, and ad¬ 
vanced fifteen paces further. Five hundred blue birds came and 
fluttered three times around him, and then flew away. The Phou 
sa advanced towards the tree Pei to , held out the grass of happy 
omen towards the east, and sat down. Then the king of the 
demons sent three beautiful girls,* who came from the north, to 
tempt him, and himself came with the same purpose. The Phou 
sa then struck the ground with his toes and the bands of the 
demon recoiled and dispersed themselves: the three girls were 
transformed into old women. During six years he imposed upon 
himself the greatest mortifications. In all these places people of 
subsequent times have built towers and prepared images which 
exist to this day. 

In the place where Foe, having accomplished the law rested 
seven days to contemplate the tree and obtain the joy of extreme 
eternal beatitude ;—in that where he passed seven days under the 
tree Pei to, proceeding from the west to the east;—in that where 
the gods, having created the edifice of the seven precious kings, 
waited on Foe seven days ;—in that where the blind dragon® with 
brilliant scales surrounded Foe for seven days ;—in that where 
Foe being seated under a tree, Ni kiu liu , and upon a square stone 
the god Brahma 10 came to entreat him ;—in that where the four 
kings of the gods offered him a pot;—in that where the chief 
of five hundred merchants persented him with parched rice and 
honey;—in that where he converted Kia se and his brethren, 
master and disciples, to the number of a thousand; in all these 
places have they erected towers. At the place where Foe obtain¬ 
ed the law, there are three seng kia lan ; hard by are establish¬ 
ments for the clergy, who are there very numerous. The people 
supply them with abundance, so that they lack nothing. The 
precepts are rigidly followed ; the greatest gravity is observed in 
all their conduct,—in sitting down, in rising up, and in going 
2 b 3 


262 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


forth. The four great towers erected in commemoration of all 
the holy acts that Foe performed while in the world are preserv¬ 
ed to this moment since the ni houan of Foe. These four great 
towers are at the place where Foe was born, at the place where 
he obtained the law, at that where he turned the wheel of the 
law, and at that where he entered into ni houan" 

NOTES. 

(1) Four yeou yans. —About 18 or 20 miles.—J. W. L. 

(2) The town of Kia ye.—Kia ye, sometimes Kia ya, is the transcription 
of the Sanscrit Gaya. This town is not to be confounded with the 
modern one of the same name situated on the left bank of the river Phulgo. 
The ruins of the ancient Gaya, at present called Buddha Gaya, are situated 
in a vast plain a short distance west of the Nilajan or Amdnal river, which 
forms the upper part of the Phulgo. These ruins present nothing but 
irregular heaps of bricks and stones, amongst which are here and there still 
to be detected the foundations of regular buildings. A vast quantity of 
building materials has been removed from these ruins, which have thus 
become more and more shapeless. The number of stone figures found dis¬ 
persed within a distance of fifteen or twenty miles around the site, is truly 
astonishing. All appear however to have belonged to a great temple and 
its vicinity, and to have been transported thence to various places. At pre¬ 
sent there are no Buddhists in the vicinity of Buddha Gaya.* 

Hiuan thsang states that this town was in a very strong position. He 
found few inhabitants and not more than a thousand brahman families de¬ 
scended from the ancient saints. 

The ruins of Buddha Gaya, was visited in February 1833, by the Bur¬ 
mese ambassador Mengy Maha Chesu and his suite, on their way to the 
Upper Provinces to visit the Governor General. In going over and care¬ 
fully examining these ruins, they found an ancient inscription in the Pali 
character in a half buried condition, near the Maha bodhi gach, or sacred 
fig-tree, on the terrace of the temple. A copy of this inscription was trans¬ 
mitted to the Asiatic Society of Bengal, by whom the following translation 
was published in their Journal for May 1834 : 

“ This is one of the 84,000 shrines erected by Sri Dharm Asoka, ruler 
of the world (Jambudwip), at the end of the year 218 of Buddha’s annihi¬ 
lation, (B. C. 326) upon the holy spot in which Bhagawan (Buddha) having 
tasted milk and honey ( madhupyasa ). In lapse of time having fallen into 
* Hamilton, Desc. of Hindu$tan, Vol. I. p. 267. 


CHAPTER XXXI. 


283 


a state of disrepair, it was rebuilt by a priest named Naikmahanta. Again 
being ruined, it was restored by Raja Sado-Mang. After a long interval 
it was once more demolished, when Raja Sempyu-Sakhen-tara-Mengi ap¬ 
pointed his Guru, Sri-Dhamma-Raja-Guna to superintend the building. He 
proceeded to the spot with his disciple, Sri Kasyapa, but they were unable 
to complete it although aided in every way by the Raja. Afterwards Vara- 
dasi-Naik-Thera petitioned the Raja to undertake it, to which he readily 
assented, commissioning prince [Pyatasing to the work, who again deputed 
the younger Pyusakheng, and his minister Ratha, to- cross over and repair 
the sacred building. It was thus constructed a fourth time, and finished oil 
Friday, the 10th day of Pyadola, in the Sakkaraj year 667 (A. D. 1305). 
On Sunday the 8th day of Tachhaon-Mungla, 668 (A. D. 1306), it was 
consecrated with splendid ceremonies and offerings of food, perfumes, ban¬ 
ners, lamps, and puja, of the famous ornamented tree called Calpa vriksha ; 
and the poor (two ?) were treated with charity as the Raja's own children. 
Thus was completed this meritorious act, which will produce eternal reward 
and virtuous fruits. May the founders endure in fame, enjoy the tranquil¬ 
lity of Nirbhan and become Arahanta on the advent of Arya Mitri (the 
future Buddha)."—Kl. 

Professor Wilson, in commenting on this part of Fa hian's route, says 
that Kia ye is Buddha Gaya, “ of course." But if we adopt the bearing 
and distance of our traveller,—and I know not on what grounds we can re¬ 
ject them,—nothing can be clearer than that neither modern Gaya nor Bud¬ 
dha Gaya, is the place here spoken of as the scene of Sakya's mortifications. 
It would be idle on my part to speculate upon a point which can be deter¬ 
mined only by local investigation ; but I may briefly mention that there are 
several circumstances, besides the testimony of Fa hian and Hiuan thsang, 
that render it extremely probable that the Kia ye of these authors was con¬ 
siderably to the north of modern Gaya. In the first place, the distance 
from Pataliputra to the Bo-tree, is stated in the Mahavansa (page Ill) to 
be seven yojanas only. Now taking the yojana of the Mahavansa to be 
equal in length to that employed by Fa hian, who makes nine of them be¬ 
tween Pataliputra and Giriyek, this would make the position of the Bo-tree 
correspond very closely with that of Ram Gaya; and even giving it the 
extreme length assigned it by Alexander Cunningham from well determined 
positions in the north-west, namely 7 miles, the distance would still fall much 
short of Gaya, even though no allowance be made for the sinuosities of 
the road. Again Capt. Kittoe mentions that according to tradition all 
religious ceremonies were anciently performed at Ram Gaya; and Bucha¬ 
nan says that many affirm Hulasganj (in the same neighbourhood) to be the 


284 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


ancient Gaya. Now if we connect with all these circumstances the Bura- 
bur caves cut with prodigious labour in the solid granite of the adjoining 
hills, and the conspicuous traces of a very extensive ancient town,* I think 
we have grounds for enquiring whether this may not be the Gaya of our 
pilgrim. That the Hindus have appropriated and sanctified the site is rather 
in favor of the conjecture, being exactly what they have done in other 
Buddhist localities. See also Prinsep’s version of the inscriptions in these 
caves and his remarks upon them in J. A. S. Vol. V. p. 657. These in¬ 
scriptions are the oldest I believe hitherto discovered in any cave in India ; 
a circumstance which also adds some weight to the claims of this neighbour¬ 
hood to be the site in question. But, I repeat, this point cannot be settled 
by closet speculations ; and I earnestly commend it to the attention of such 
as have local opportunities of deciding it.—J. W. L. 

(3) Spent six years in mortifications .—The first of the tribulations that 
Sakya Muni had to undergo, was to live six entire years in mortification and 
privations, ere he attained the highest degree of sanctity. He thus him¬ 
self explains the cause of this tribulation: “ There was formerly in the city 
of Pho lo nai (Benares) the son of a brahman named Ho man , and the son 
of a potter named Hou hi; these two were young and comported themselves 
very affectionately together. Hou hi said to Ho man; “ Let us go see 
Kia she Jou lai,” (the Tathagatha Kasyapa). Ho man replied, “ Where 
be the use of going to see this shaven-headed monk 1” And thus it stood 
till the third day. Agaiu Hou hi said, “ We might go but one moment to 
see him.” The other replied, “ Wherefore visit this shaven monk ? How 
should he have the doctrine of Buddha ?” Thereupon Hou hi seized 
Ho man by the head, and said, “ I desire that you come and see the Jou 
lai with me.” Ho man, quite frightened, said within himself, “ This is no 
trifling matter ; there must be something good therein. He then said “ Let 
go my head and I will accompany you.” Arrived where the Buddha was, 
they saluted the feet of Kia she. Hou hi said to the Buddha that Ho man 
recognised not the Three Precious Ones, and beseeched him to expound 
them to him, and convert him. Ho man on seeing the Buddha loved him 
and was filled with joy ; he embraced religious life and studied the doctrine. 
Ho man is myself; Hou hi is he who, while I was yet prince, induced me 
to issue forth from the town and embrace religious life, and it was the son 
of a manufacturer of flower vases who guided me. Nevertheless as I in a 
former birth spoke disparagingly of the Buddha Kia she, I had to suffer 
the retributive penalty; what remains of this penalty, I must now suffer 
when on the point of becoming Buddha, by six years of mortifications. 

* Kittoe, J. A. S. Vol. XVI. p. 402. 


CHAPTER XXXI. 


285 


As the whole of this chapter is filled with the adventures of Buddha, 
while yet Bodhisattwa, and during these six years of mortifications, T 6hall 
subjoin the sequel of the legend given in Note 8. Chap. XXIII. and which 
has thrown so much light upon this subject. 

A. “ The prince when on the eve of quitting common life, leapt with 
joy and proceeded in peace. He entered the town ; the people of the coun¬ 
try gazed on him with delight and never seemed wearied with doing so. 
The prince by separating himself from every object of attachment and affec¬ 
tion, had removed the root of all passion and pain. 

B. He wished to have his head shaved; but in his haste he had taken 

with him no instrument for the purpose. Indra came with a sword in his 
hand ; the gods and the genii received the hair. He then resumed his route, 
and advanced into the country. The inhabitants followed and watched him. 
He then went forth from the kingdom ; and having advanced somewhat, he 
came to the kingdom erf Mo kie (Magadha). He entered it by the right, and 
left it by the left gate. The people of the country, men and women, great 
and small, seeing the prince, exclaimed “ This must be Indra, or Brahma, or 
some celestial genius, or a king of the dragons ;” and they abandoned them¬ 
selves to joy, not knowing who of these he might be. The prince, who 
knew their thoughts, left the road and sat down beneath a tree. Then 
the king of the country, Ping sha (Bimbasara), inquired of his ministers, 
“ How happens it every thing is so quiet in the kingdom, that not a sound 
or a whisper is to be heard ?” They replied, u There is a Doctor of Rea¬ 
son traversing the kingdom, and coming to the court. Wherever he goes, 
he leaves a trace of light, and inspires respect by his majestic bearing. It 
is a thing not seen in this age. The people of the country, great and small, 
have gone out to see and contemplate him, and even till now none have 
returned.” The king then went forth with all his officers, and having ap¬ 
proached the Doctor of Reason, he beheld the prince shining with marvel¬ 
lous light. He asked the latter, “ What genius art thou ?” " I am no 

genius” replied the prince. “ If thou art not a genius,’’ returned the king, 
“ whence art thou and what is the name of thy family ?” ‘‘I come,” replied 
the prince, ** from the east of the Perfumed Mountains, from the north of the 
Mountains of snow; my kingdom is named Kia wei; my father is P£ 
Vising ; and my mother, Mo ye” King Bimbasara replied, “ Are you not 
Siddharta, then ?” “I am he,” answered the prince. Struck with admi¬ 
ration, the king threw himself at his feet and worshipped him. “ Prince, 
whose birth has been signalised by so many miracles, (said he) whose ex¬ 
terior proclaims by its lustre an immortal, the holy king causing the wheel 
of the four continents to revolve, the expected treasure of the genii whose 


286 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


heads were raised from the midst of the four seas, wherefore hast thou 
abandoned thy heavenly (royal) rank to conceal thyself in the midst of 
the mountains ? Doubtless thou hast an admirable purpose } I would fain 
learn it.” The prince replied : From what I have seen, men and things 
both in heaven and on earth, are born but to die. The sufferings that attend 
them are old age, sickness, death, and pain. These cannot be evaded* 
The body is but the receptacle of pains. Affliction and fear are immense. 
If man attain a glorious eminence, lo ! he falls into excess of pride. Instead 
of the joys so ardently sought for, the world is replete with sorrows. It is 
this that wearies me, it is for this that I would fly to the mountains.” 
The grandees and the elders replied ; “ This old age, this sickness, this death, 
—have been in the world from all time. Why distress yourself by antici¬ 
pation ? and thus to reject a glorious title, and to withdraw to a profound 
retreat to mortify your body, what is it but to encounter evil ?” The 
prince repeated these verses : “ According to your sayings, Lords, I should 
not foresee evil and be sad : but were I a king, in becoming old, sickness 
would supervene, and when death came I must then have a successor. In 
meeting this calamity, it were as if I had no successor. How then forbid 
my sorrow ? There are in the world a tender parent, and a pious son whose 
affection penetrates even the marrow of his bones. At the moment of death 
they cannot succeed each other. As for this illusory body, on the day 
when, though exalted in rank, pain reaches it, the six relatives are at its 
side, as if for a blind man you should light torches. Of what use were 
these to such as are deprived of eyesight ? I have reflected that all acts what¬ 
ever are subject to instability, and must fall back in error. There is little 
happiness and much sorrow. The body doth not exist of itself, and the 
world, which is all vacuity, cannot be inhabited long. Beings which are 
born, die. Things which are finished, decay. In quiet cometh danger : in 
possession, loss. All beings are in tumult and confusion ; all must return 
to void. The soul is without form ; its progress is in darkness, and so it 
reaches the calamity of birth and death. Nor does it attain these once for 
all; but its desires and affections retain it in the bonds of ignorance. It 
plunges into the river of birth and death ; and can in no wise acquire the 
comprehension of these. For this reason would I fly to the mountains ; all 
my thoughts are turned to the four voids, towards the salvation of purity, 
of repressed lusts, and of extinct anger ; I shall seek to direct my reflections 
to that which attains void and annihilation ; and not only this, but I shall 
re-ascend to the source, I shall return to the beginning. I shall begin to 
issue from the root, and thus I expect to attain the mighty rest.” 

The king Bimbasara, and the elders, pleased with the explanation thus 


CHAPTER XXXI. 


287 


given them by the prince, inferred that he was one of those prodigies destin¬ 
ed to obtain the doctrine of Buddha, and trusted to his saving them amongst 
the first. 

C. The prince kept silence and pursued his way, and continuing his re¬ 
flections, said, “ Now that I am about to enter the mountains, of what use 
to me are these precious garments ? It is for such treasures as these that 
the ignorant and stupid men of the world expose themselves to danger.’? 
He then saw a hunter pass by, dressed in the garment prescribed by the 
law. The prince joyfully said to himself, “ Behold the genuine dress of a 
man, the dress of him who, of pity, shall save the world. O hunter, why 
hast thou put it on ? If thou wilt exchange it, thou wilt fulfil my desires.” 
He then gave the huntsman his gold-adorned vesture, and received in ex¬ 
change that conformable to the law, Chin yue , and passed on quickly. The 
hunter was delighted, and not less so the Bodhisattwa. The prince put 
on the Chin yue in lieu of his soft and splendid raiment, and looking with 
a pure eye upon his seng Jcia li (religious cowl), entered among the moun¬ 
tains. Charmed at having found the garments prescribed by the law, the 
Bodhisattwa shed a light which illumined the mountains and the forests. 
Amongst the Tao szu, one named A lan , and another Kia lan , who had pas¬ 
sed many years in the study and who had sufficed in the four contemplations 
and attained five supernatural faculties, seeing this light were struck with 
amazement and asked, “ What signifieth this prodigy ?” They went forth to 
investigate, and beholding the prince said, “ Siddharta hath indeed quitted 
his home ! Welcome Siddharta ! Let him sit on this bed ; he shall have 
a clear spring and pleasant fruit. Let him now eat!” They then added 
in verse, “ The Sun-King hath begun to rise ; he is even now above the 
mountain top, and the light of knowledge is seen of all beings. If any be¬ 
hold the face of his image, he shall no more know weariness; for his rea¬ 
son and his virtue are without peer ; there is nothing equal with which to 
compare them !” Then the Bodhisattwa took up the verse ; “ Although ye 
have cultivated the four fixed ideas, your spirits do not conceive supreme 
intelligent reason (Prajna bodhi). The rectitude of the heart is the root of 
it; it consists not in the worship of perverse genii, in the observance of 
vulgar things, which may be truly called searching for Brahma in a long 
night. It is thus that he who knoweth not reason falleth by the revolution 
of the wheel into life and death.” Then the Bodhisattwa conceived a merci¬ 
ful thought; seeing how all beings are subject to old age and ignorance, and 
how they cannot assure themselves against infirmities and the pains of death, 
he desired to effect their deliverance in order to render their thoughts single; 
and permitting that all, without exception, should sustain hunger and thirst, 


288 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


cold and heat, gain and loss, the pains of sin and other afflictions, he sought 
to calm and soften (these evils) ; finally to unify their thoughts and give 
rise to feelings of joy. He considered how, in the three worlds, there were 
pains and sadness, fears and alarms, and the disappointments of society ; and 
he longed to soothe men and lead them to abstraction, in short to unify 
their thoughts and give birth to the sentiment of protection. He yearn¬ 
ed to save from the five conditions and the eight ills, those beings who 
clouded with ignorance and darkened by stupidity, distinguish not true 
reason. He longed to effect their salvation, and so to arrange that they 
should experience no contradiction in unifying their thoughts; that they 
should experience the good and not the ill, and should feel no regret in 
abandoning the eight actions of the age, profit, loss, destruction, exaltation, 
praise, injury, grief and joy, so that they be neither moved nor disturbed. 
It is this which produced the second contemplation. 

D. He then set forth again upon his route, and came to the valley* of 
Sse na. This valley was level and straight; there were many fruit trees of 
different kinds ; every where there were living springs and lakes for ablution. 
All was pure and serene. There were no spiders, flies, hornets, wasps, or 
flees. In this valley there was a Taoszu named Ssena. He instructed disci¬ 
ples to the number of five hundred and guided their conduct. The Bodhi- 
sattwa sat down under a So lo tree or Sala > Shorea robusta), 

and for the sake of his intentions asked for the supreme lodhi of unsur¬ 
passed truth. The gods presented him with a sweet dew ; but the Bodhi- 
sattwa would not accept it ; and he constrained himself to take no more 
daily than a single grain of hemp seed and one of rice to sustain his exist¬ 
ence. He remained seated thus for six years. His body became exceed¬ 
ingly emaciated, and his skin adhered to the bones. His original purity, his 
repose, his profound calm, his silence, occupied his whole soul; but his 
thoughts tranquilly dwelt upon, 1st. number, 2d. consequence, 3d. judg¬ 
ment, 4th. sight, 5th. return, 6th. purity. He expressed his thoughts 
three or four times. He went out by the twelve gates, but without disse- 
minating or communicating his thoughts. His divine faculties became ex¬ 
cellent. He penetrated and rejected desires and evil. He entered no more 
into the five cloaks, and experienced no longer the five desires. All evils 
became extinct of themselves. His reflection weighed, distinguished, and 
and illustrated. His thoughts saw without effort. He was as a hero who 
hath conquered. It was thus that by dint of purity he arrived at the third 
contemplation. 

* In the original Chhouan; which signifies not merely a mountain-torrent, and 
in general running water , but a valley watered by a rivulet. 


fcllAPtkfc XXX t. 


289 


E. In traversing heaven, India reflected thus, and said. li Behold, six 
entire years hath the Bodhisattwa been seated under a tree: his person hath 
become exceedingly emaciated. We must now present to this king causing 
the wheel to revolve, wherewithal to compensate the abstinence of six years.” 
He then influenced the two daughters of SVe na in such wise that they had a 
dream. The world was completely at an end, and there was on the water a 
flower which had the lustre of the seven precious things. Suddenly the flower 
dried up, and lost its original hue : but there came a man to water it, and it 
was restored as at first. Then began all the flowers that were in the water to 
put forth and grow, and their sprouts covered the water as if they would grow 
out of it. The two damsels having thus dreamed, awakened, and surprised 
at the prodigy, ran to narrate it to their father. The father was unable to 
expound it. He consulted all the old men, but none could say what the 
dream imported. Indra once more descended and transformed himself into a 
Brahmachari to interpret the dream of the young damsels. “ The flower which 
you have seen produced on the water, is the eldest son of King Be thsing. 
Behold him for six years beneath the tree ; his body is extremely emaciated. 
The flower which is dried up, and the man who caused it to revive by water¬ 
ing it, signify that food must be offered him to eat. The little flowers, the 
stalks of which would come forth, are the men who live or die in the five 
conditions.” Indra then pronounced the following gatha :—“ For six years 
he hath neither reclined nor laid down. He hath not so much as thought of 
hunger or thirst. His efforts have as yet attained nothing. His body is 
emaciated : his skin and his bones are in contact. Arm yourself with a re¬ 
spectful spirit, and offer food to the Bodhisattwa. There shall be great hap¬ 
piness in the present age, while the fruit and the reward shall be in subse¬ 
quent ages.” The damsels replied, “ What shall we do to present him with 
food ?” The Brahmachari replied, “ Take ye the milk of five hundred cows, 
and present it to him to drink in succession. Every time that the milk of 
a cow shall be milked, you shall take the milk of that cow, and use it in the 
preparation of boiled rice. When, in boiling, the rice and milk shall rise 
from the vessel, it shall rise fifty-six feet upwards to the left, downwards to 
the right, to the right above, and to the left below. You shall fill his pot 
with this rice by means of a ladle, that it be not soiled.” 

F. The two damsels presented (the boiled rice) to the Bodhisattwa. The 
latter wished first to bathe himself ere he partook of the rice. He proceed¬ 
ed therefore towards the running stream, and washed his person. When 
he had finished his ablutions, lie came forth from the water, the gods and 
the genii sheltering him with brauches of trees. The young damsels then 
presented him with the rice-and milk. When he had eaten thereof his strength 

2 c 


200 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


returned, and, in a formula, he vowed infinite happiness to tile young damSela, 
saying, “ May you return to the Three Honorable Ones l” Having finished 
his meal he washed his hands, rinsed hia mouth, and washed out his pot. 
In going away, he threw the last into the river. It ascended against the 
current. It had not gone seven It ere the gods formed a Garuda which came 
flying, and seizing the pot, bore it as well as the hair, to the spot where 

they have erected a tower in their honor. 

G. The Bodhisattwa then proceeded on his route, and when about to 
pass the river Ni lian chhen, he made a gatha, signifying, “ In passing the 
jv» lian chhen (Nilajan) I am moved with compassion for all men. The 
three conditions and the three poisoned spots, I will remove them as if they 
were washed away with water.- The Bodhisattwa then reflected: “ All 
ignorant beings fall into darkness. I roust lay hold on the eight right things, 
and by the washing of water, I shall efface the three poisoned spots.- He 
then began to ascend the bank. Blue birds to the number of five hundred, 
flew thrive around the Bodhisattwa, and having sung dolorously, departed. 

H. He again set forth, and as he passed the lake of the blind dragon, 
this dragon issued rejoicing, manifesting his delight at the sight of the Bo- 
dhisattwa, and pronouncing this gatha. “ Oh what happiness ! I behold 
Siddharta, who comes to deliver us 1 How shall we delay offering him the 
juices of the sweet unsurpassed dew ? When he walks, the earth trembles 
beneath his tread. Musical instruments emit sounds of their own accord. 
He is truly as the Buddhas of times past. On this point I for one have 
no doubts. Even now will he, as the sun of Buddha, enlighten all beings, 
and awaken them from their slumber l” 

I. He then advanced once more, and beheld the hill Sou lin. The coun¬ 
try was flat and regular, and on every side clear and delightful. It produced 
delicate and beautiful plants. Sweet rivulets flowed in abundance. The 
perfume of flowers was delicious and pure. In the midst there was a lofty 
and handsome tree, all the branches of which were disposed with regularity 
the one above the other : all the leaves were adjoined to each other, and the 
flowers thickly locked together as the ornament of the gods. A pennon was at 
the top of the tree. It was the king of all the forest, and of original hap¬ 
piness. Then (Buddha) advancing a little, beheld a man mowing grass. 
The Bodhisattwa asked, “ What is now thy name ?” “My name is « Happy 
Omen,’ and I now cut the grass of happy omen.” “ If thou give me of that 
grass, then shall the ten parts of the world possess a happy omen.- Then 
Happy Omen pronounced the following gatha :- “He hath rejected the dig¬ 
nity of Holy King, the seven treasures, the damsel of jasper for a spouse, 
beds of gold and of silver, carpets, broidered and many coloured stuffs, tlje 


CHAPTER XXXI. 


291 


plaintive voice of the bird Kan than, the harmony of the eight concords, and 
his superiority over the God Brahma, and now he provides himself with 
grass. The Bodhisattwa replied with this gatha : “I have made a vow 
during an asankya; it is to save men of the five conditions. I now proceed 
to fulfil this vow. It is on this account that I desired that the mower of 
grass should give me a handful of the grass, that holding it out towards the 
king of the trees, worldly thoughts might be wholly dispersed. Now must 
I carry out these purposes.” The mower then presented him with the grass, 
and spread it upon the ground as had been told him. The Bodhisattwa sat 
down, and received the present. The Bodhisattwa performed the three things 
necessary to be seated, and having come before the tree, said, “ If I can 
obtain the doctrine, I shall not evade the three oaths ; my sides shall dry up 
and become immobile. If it be so that I attain complete Buddhahood, and 
obtain the doctrine, every hour shall produce its thought.” Thereupon 
the Bodhisattwa sat down, and entered extasy. He cast away sorrow and 
the idea of joy ; without either sadness or the thoughts of pleasure, his heart 
neither rested upon good, nor directed itself to evil. He was truly in the 
mean. Like a man who bathes, and, purified, covers himself with white 
felt; without, he was all purity, within, a spotless augury. Annihilated in 
repose, he completed without change the four contemplations; and after 
finishing these, he obtained determinate thought without abating his great 
compassion; by his knowledge and procedure, he penetrated the prime 
wonders, and comprehended the operation of the thirty-seven classes 
of the doctrine. And what are the thirty-seven classes ? They are, 
first, the four stases of ideas of the mens; secondly, the four interrup¬ 
tion of the mens; thirdly, the four spiritual sufficiencies ; fourthly, the 
five roots; fifthly, the five forces; sixthly, the seven intelligent mens ; 
seventhly the eight right actions. After the having run these over, 
he recommenced the void of pain. Extraordinarily without form, with¬ 
out wish or ego , he thought of the world which, by avarice, love, 
gluttony, lust, falls into the pains of life and death. How few understand 
how to know themselves, all deriving their origin from the ttvelve nidanas l 
What are these twelve ? Their origin is ignorance ; ignorance in action pro¬ 
duces knowledge ; knowledge in action produces name and title ; title in 
action, produces the six entrances ; the six entrances in action produce 
desire ; desire in action produces love ; love in action produces caption; cap¬ 
tion in action produces possession ; possession in action produces birth ; 
birth in action produces old age and death, pain and compassion, sorrow and 
suffering, which are the pains of the heart and the instrument, of great 
calamity. When the soul has fallen into the vicissitude of life and death, 

2 C 2 


292 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


if it would obtain the doctrine, it must interrupt lore, and extinguish and 4 
suppress passion and lust. When quietude comes, then is ignorance ex¬ 
tinct; ignorance being extinct, then is action extinct; action becoming 
extinct, then is knowledge extinct; knowledge being extinct, then are 
name and title extinct; name and title extinct, then are the six entrances 
extinct; the six entrances extinct, then is renewed pleasure extinct; renewed 
pleasure extinct, then is desire extinct; desire extinct, then is love extinct ; 
love extinct, caption is extinct; caption extinct then is possession extinct; 
possession extinct, then is birth extinct; birth extinct, then are ended old age 
and death, sadness, compassion, pain and sorrow, the afflictions of tire heart 
and all great calamities; and by this is meant to have the doctrine. 

K. The Bodhisattwa then said within himself: “ Now must I submit to 
the ministers and descendants of the Mara.” He then caused to issue from 
the space between his eyebrows a ray of light which struck the palace of the 
Mara. The Mara, greatly alarmed, could not tranquilli 2 e his heart; and 
seeing that the Bodhisattwa was already beneath the tree, pure, without 
desires, unremittingly occupied with subtile thoughts, and that in his heart 
the venom of the passions, and eating, and drinking had no attractions, and 
that he thought no longer of sexual pleasures, he thus reflected : “ This is 
the accomplishment of the doctrine; truly will there be a great victory 
over me. Ere yet he become Buddha, I will go and lay waste his doc¬ 
trine.’ ’ The son of Mara, Siu ma thi, interrupted his father thus : “ The 
Bodhisattwa practises purity. In the three worlds he hath no peer; of 
himself hath he attained purity. The Brahmas and all the gods, by hun¬ 
dreds of millions go to pay him homage and to gaze upon him ; it is not 
him that men or gods may attack. In disturbing his quietude and giving 
rise to evil, let himself destroy his own happiness. Oh king of the Mara, 
if you listen to these reasons, call hither the three damsels of jasper, the 
first named Gracious Love , the second Ever Happy, and the third Great 
Joy. Trouble not yourself, Oh king, my father; let us interrupt the 
penitence of the Bodhisattwa, a matter not important enough to disturb you. 
Be not cast down, Oh king !” Then the three damsels, whose charms were 
exalted by their celestial raiment, approached the Bodhisattwa followed by 
five hundred damsels of jasper. The musical instruments which they 
played upon, their songs, their lewd language, were all directed to dis¬ 
turb his study of the doctrine. All three took up the strain : “ Thy virtue 
and thy goodness are such, said they, that the gods venerate and would 
worship thee : and it is for this that we come before thee. We are beauti¬ 
ful and pure ; our age is in its flower ; we implore permission to serve you, 
and to attend you on the right and on the left, in rising in the morning, and 
in lying down at night.’* 


CHAPTER XXXI. 


293 


The beauty and the blandishments of these damsels produced no effect 
upon the soul of the Bodhisattwa ; by a single word he transformed them 
into grey-headed old women, their teeth fallen out, their eyes lustreless, 
and their backs so crooked that they were compelled to avail themselves of 
the help of staves to return to whence they came. The Mara seeing this, 
was exasperated with rage, and coming with his 1,800,000 demons sur¬ 
rounded the space of thirty-six yojanas. These demons assumed the shape of 
lions, bears, rhinoceroses, tigers, elephants, oxen, horses, dogs, hogs, and 
apes. Some were seen with the heads of animals upon human bodies; 
others who had the forms of venomous serpents and the heads of six-eyed 
tortoises. Some had several heads, with fangs and crooked claws : they bore 
mountains on their backs, and caused fire, thunder, and lightning to issue 
from their mouths. They came from four sides to attack the Bodhisattwa, 
with all manner of arms. But nothing could daunt the courage of the latter, 
who came off victorious from all the attacks of his enemies. Finally the 
Bodhisattwa having, by his supernatural power, overcome and subdued the 
Mara, all the gods, full of joy, descended from heaven and scattered flowers. 
The Bodhisattwa obtained the rank of Buddha under the name of Shy kia 
wen Jou lai (Sakya Muni Tathagata) with the honorific title of Establisher 
of men and gods, and the venerable Buddha of the age. —Kl. 

(4) Covering him as he issued from the bath. —See note 3 letter F. 
According to Hiuan thsang, Sakya bathed in the river Ni lian chhen ; in 
memory of which a tower was erected which existed at his day.—Kl. 

(5.) Offered Foe rice and milk. —In Singalese books only one woman is 
mentioned as having contributed to the sustenance of Buddha with milk and 
rice. Her name was Sujatawa (Sujata?) During a million kalpas she 
had done a vast number of good works, in the hope of having it in her pow¬ 
er one day or other to present rice and milk to a Buddha. Her wish was 
granted. She was the daughter of a Sitawno (wealthy man) of the country 
of Senananam niangani , and became wife of the principal Sitawno of Bare - 
nessi (Benares). She offered a golden pot worth a million massa of gold, 
full of rice and milk to Buddha the very day of his accomplishment; and 
after that accomplishment, having heard him preach, she entered upon 
eternal blessedness.*—Kl. 

(6.) Under the Pei to tree.— That is the Borassus flabelliformis, or 
toddy tree, in Sanscrit rfl^T tala. According to the legend given in note 
3. D. it was not under a Pei to, but under a So lo (*U^T Sala) that Buddha 
remained six years in mortifications. The Mongol legend given by M. 
Schmidt makes it an Indian fig, ficus religiosa; “near the king of trees, a 
* Upham, Vol. III. 56. 


2 c 3 


294 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN, 


lofty Bodhi, he sat with his legs crossed and in a motionless posture; 
he vanquished and subjected the shimnous (demons) and on the morrow, 
became Buddha to open the exhaustible sources of life.”* In the account 
of Hiuan thsang it is likewise under a Bodhi that Sakya Muni is said to 
have rested several years.—Kl. 

It will be seen when we come to Chapter XXXVII. that from the mode 
of propagation ascribed to the Pei to tree by Fa hian, it could not possibly 
belong to any of the palm tribe. His account identifies it with the Ficus 
indica. This tree is often produced from the seeds that have been dropped by 
birds in the axils of theBorassus flabelliformis, where they grow, and extend 
their descending roots so as in time to embrace entirely the Palmyra, except 
its upper parts. “ In very old ones the top thereof is just seen issuing from 
the trunk of the Banyan itself as if it grew from thence, whereas it runs 
down through its centre and has its roots in the ground, the Palm being 
oldest.”+ This sight is familiar to all who have been in India.—J..W. L. 

(8) Three beautiful girls. —For further particulars of Sakya’s temptations 
the reader may refer to the Asiatic Researches, Vol. XX. p. 301.—J. W. L. 

(9.) The blind dragon with brilliant scales. —Hiuan thsang names this 
dragon Mou chi lin tho. —Kl. 

The dragon, here called Mou chi lin tho , is the Muchalindo of the Pali 
Annals. He is said to have protected Buddha during a thunder storm by 
encircling him seven times ; thus forming a dormitory in which, remote for 
all disturbance, the latter reposed for a week in the enjoyment of heavenly 
beatitude. See also Notices of the Life of Sakya , As. Res. XX. p. 293. 
—J. W. L. 

(10) The circumstance here alluded to is detailed at large in the twenty- 
eighth volume of the M do, entitled (H dsangs b lun). This 

work has been published at St. Petersburgh, with a German translation by 
that eminent orientalist, M. I. J. Schmidt. In the legend in question, Sakya 
is represented as hesitating, after his attainment of Buddhahood, whether he 
should engage in the promulgation of the Law, or, in consequence of the 
hopeless perversity of mankind, emancipate himself at once by entering 
nirvana. Brahma and the other gods of his mansion are represented as entreat¬ 
ing Sakya to enter at once upon the good work ; and as reminding him of his 
prodigious efforts in former births to attain the opportunity he then enjoyed. 
In this way several legends are narrated at length: how countless ages ago, 
when Sakya was Kanashinipali , a king of Jambudwi'p, he made a thousand 
holes in his body and lit as many lamps, or wicks, in them, for the sake of 
the doctrine ;—how in another birth, when he was a king named Jiling Girali, 
* Gesch, der Ost Mongolian . f Voigt, Hort, Cal , Suburb . 


CHAPTER XXXI. 


295 

he, for the same object, lia<i a thousand iron spikes driven into his body :— 
how countless kalpas ago, when he was Damgama, son and heir of the king 
of Jambudwjpa, he threw himself into a pit of fire ;—how innumerable ages 
past, when at Benares, as Udpala, he tore his own skin for paper, broke his 
bones for a pen, and used his blood for ink, as the condition of hearing the doc¬ 
trine ;—and how, at a period unspeakably and immeasurably distant, he exist¬ 
ed as a king of J ambudwipa named S bids hi, and was put to the test by Indra 
and Vishwakarma, the former assuming the shape of a hawk and chasing 
the latter in the form of a dove into the arms of the king, who negociated 
for its rescue at the expense of his own flesh. On being reminded of all 
these events, Sakya’s resolution is taken, and he proceeds to Benares to 
“ turn the wheel of the Law/' Schmidt, Der Weise und der Thor y Vol. 
II. pp. 3—20. Some of these legends the reader will remember have been 
referred to in the earlier part of this volume.*—J. W. L. 

(11) Offered him parched rice and honey. —Buddha, says Hiuan thsang, 
being seated with his legs crossed, and having attained the joy of eternal 
beatitude, issued, after seven days, from his profound meditations. Two 
merchants passing through the forest at the time, were warned by the guar¬ 
dian genius, who said, “ The prince of the race of the Sakyas is here, he 
has obtained the rank of Buddha, his spirit is absorbed in meditation, and 
during forty nine days he has eaten nothing.” The two merchants ap¬ 
proached Buddha and offered him some parched rice and honey. Buddha 
accepted their presents, but as he had no vessels to contain them, the four 
kings of heaven coming from the cardinal points, brought him each a golden 
pot. Buddha declined their acceptance, because vessels of such precious 
material were not suitable to the ecclesiastical condition which he had em¬ 
braced. He refused besides other pots of valuable material, and eventually 
accepted one of a very ordinary kind, &c.”—Kl. 

The story of these merchants is otherwise told in Pali works ; but is not 
worth repeating here.—J. W. L. 

(12) Where he converted Kia she and his brethren. —These are the three 
brothers of Kia she (Kasyapa) who were converted by Sakya Muni; name¬ 
ly Uruwilwa Kasyapa (Kasyapa of the quince tree), Nadi Kasyapa (of the 
river), and Gaya Kasyapa (of Gaya). These three personages are not to be 
confounded with Maha Kasyapa ( Kia she ) nor with one named in Chinese 
Shy ly Kia she (in Sanscrit Dasawala , the ten-fold strong) who was one of 
the first five persons converted by Sakya Muni. According to the Fan y 
ming i the word Kasyapa signifies family of the great tortoise ; according to 
others, imbibed splendor. The ancestors having from generation to generation 

* See pages 55,62, &c. 


296 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


applied themselves to the study of reason, a miraculous tortoise, carrying a 
divine table on its back, replied to the questions of these virtuous ancestois, 
and hence the family name. He was able to perform the superior acts of 
self-excitation; and therefore they gave him the name of the first of the 
high action. Compare Chap. XX. note 39.—Kl. 

(13) Four great towers .—'That is, at Kapilavastu, Gaya, Benares, and 
Knsinagara.—J. W, L. 


CHAPTER XXXII. 


A yu becomes King of the Iron Wheel, and reigns over Yan feou thi.— He visits 
Hell, and constructs a prison for the punishment of criminals.—History of a 
Pi khieou who entered that prison.—The King is converted. 

The King A yu, while yet a lad, 1 was playing upon the road ; 
he met Shy kiafoe , who was going about begging his subsistence. 
The lad, greatly pleased, gave a handful of earth to Foe. Foe took 
it, returned it to the ground, and passed along. The earth in 
return for that made him (A yu) King of the Wheel of Iron. % He 
reigned over Yan feou thi , and mounted the Iron Wheel. In 
visiting Yan feou thi he saw Hell 3 situated between two moun¬ 
tains and entirely surrounded with a girdle of iron, where the 
damned are confined. He asked his ministers the meaning of this ; 
they answered that that was the place where the King of the 
Demons, Yan lof imprisoned the guilty. The King reflected and 
said, “ If the King of the Demons hath devised a hell for the 
punishment of the guilty, why should not I, who am the king of 
men, prepare a hell for the punishment of the guilty ?” Then 
addressing his ministers, he asked, “ Who is he that can prepare 
me a hell for the punishment of the guilty V* They replied. 
None but an extremely wicked man can do so.” 5 The King 
then sent his ministers every where in quest of a wicked man. 
They found on the banks of a river, a black giant, with yellow 
hair and green eyes, talons instead of feet, and the mouth of a 
’fish. He whistled the birds and the quadrupeds, and when these 




CHAPTER XXXII. 


297 


came, killed them with arrows so that not one escaped. When 
they had found this man they returned to the King. The King 
summoned him privately and said to him ; “ Enclose a space with 
a lofty wall, and place within it all manner of flowers and fruits, 
also beautiful valleys, and lakes pleasing and lovely to look upon, 
alluring men to gaze on them with eagerness. Thou shalt make 
a gate to this prison, and if any come and enter, thou shalt 
seize him forthwith, and shalt punish the guilty according to 
their kinds, allowing none to escape; and should I, even, enter, 
slacken not the punishment of the guilty: I make thee prince of 
the hell.” A Pi khieou begging his subsistence entered the gate. 
The keeper of the gate was about to punish him as a criminal. 
The terrified Pi khieou solicited some respite till he had taken 
his repast. Some time after a man entered. The keeper of the 
gate put him into a mortar and pounded him ; a red froth came 
from him. The Pi khieou having witnessed this, was convinced 
that the body is perishable and subject to misery, empty as a 
water-bubble® or as froth, and became Arhan. When that was 
done, the gaoler put the froth into a pot; the Pi khieou was 
enraptured. The fire dried up the froth, and when it had cool¬ 
ed, there arose from it a water-lily. The Pi khieou sat down, 
and the gaoler went to the King to rehearse the marvels that 
had been performed in the prison. lie desired that the king 
should go and behold them. The king replied, “ I have first 
something urgent to do; I cannot go thither now.” The gaoler 
replied, “ This is no small matter ; it behoves you, oh king, to 
come quickly, and that you postpone other matters.” The king 
followed him and entered : the Pi khieou preached to him the 
doctrine. The king obtained the faith, and repented of all the 
wickedness he had hitherto done. From that time he believed 
in and honored the Three Precious Ones' He habitually went to 
the tree Pei to* to repent himself of his sins, to chastise himself, 
and subject himself to the eight purifications. The king’s wife 
asked whither the king daily repaired to promenade ? The 
grandees replied, that he always went to the tree Pei to. The 


298 


PILCRtMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


queen awaited the time when the king was not there, and sent 
people to cut and throw down the tree. When the king return* 
ed and beheld this, he was so troubled and afflicted that he fell 
to the earth. The nobles bathed his face with water, and after a 
long time he returned to his senses. He caused a brick wall to 
be built round the roots of the tree, and these to be watered 
with a hundred pitchers of cow’s milk. He cast himself upon 
ground, and made oath never to rise again unless the tree were 
reproduced. Scarcely had he made this oath, than the tree 
began to sprout again from its roots, and from that time to the 
present it has become at least ten chanf/ 9 high ! 

NOTES. 

(1) King A yu, while yet a lad. —The legend here alluded to may be 
found in M. Schmidt’s Per IVeise und der Thor , Vol. II. p. 217. “ Once 
upon a time the Victorious-Accomplished (Sakya) went abroad with Kun- 
gawo (Ananda) in quest of alms. Several children were diverting them¬ 
selves by the road-side, erecting little buildings of earth. One of these saw 
Buddha afar off, and resolved to present him on his approach with alms. 
For this purpose he took a handful of the earth they were using to present 
to Buddha; but being very small, he was unable to reach the dish. 
11 Stoop down,” exclaimed he to his companion, “ and getting on thy back, I 
will put my offering in the alms-dish.” “ Willingly,” replied his companion ; 
so getting upon his shoulders, the former stretched out the handful of earth 
to Buddha. Hereupon Buddha lowered the begging pot and received the 
earth. Having received it, he transferred it to Kungawo with this com¬ 
mand ; “ Make of this earth a (fluid) mud, and besprinkle therewith the 
temple. Kungawo ! in as much as the temple shall be sprinkled with the 
gift brought me by the impulse of a happy spirit, and so accepted by me, 
for this meritorious service, after the lapse of one hundred years from 
my emancipation from pain, shall this little boy, by the name of Asoka , 
reign over Jamhudwtpa ; and after he shall have established the pre-eminence 
of the Three Jewels throughout all lands, he shall bring the sarira to the 
highest honor, and erect for these at one and the same time, eighty-four 
thousand sthupa throughout Jambudwip,” &c. 

I give this short legend, not so much in illustration of the text, as for its 
assertion that Asoka was a contemporary of Sakya Muni; the only instance 
of such that I at present remember. It would be curious to ascertain if any 


CHAPTER XXXII. - 299 

counterpart of this legend exists in Pali. I fancy not, and strongly suspect 
that the present is a Trans-himalayan interpolation. M. de Koros men¬ 
tions that in the copy of the Kah ghyur from which he made his analysis, 
the H dsangs b lun is stated to have been translated from the Chinese.* The 
existence of a Chinese copy would account for Fa hian’s familiarity with 
many of the legends narrated in that work.—J. W. L. 

(2) King of the Iron Wheel.— See note 12 Chap. XVII. It is there ex^ 
plained that the king of the iron wheel would appear at the time when the 
life of man, after having attained its limit of brevity (ten years), should re¬ 
turn by a succession of increments to twenty thousand years. Nevertheless, 
in the text quoted in the San tsang fa sou , and which M. Remusat had 
before him, it is stated that “ According to the Ta chi tou lun, the age of 
man augments and decreases in the lesser kalpas. The life of man is 
first 84,000 years : at the end of every century this term is abridged by on 
year, decreasing thus to 10 years. After remaining thus one hundred years, 
it increases again by one year, till it attains twenty thousand ; and in this 
course of time appears the king of the iron wheel,” & c. As the Buddha 
Sakya Muni, with whom A yu or Asoka was contemporary, was born at 
a time when the duration of human life w'as but a hundred years, it is evi¬ 
dent that the king of the iron wheel did not withhold his appearance in the 
world till this duration extended to twenty thousand years.—Kl. 

(3) He saw Hell.— According to the Buddhist tracts collected in the 
San tsang fa sou, precisely at the southern extremity of Jambudwfpa, at 
the depth of 500 yojanas is the abode of king Yan lo ; that is the infernal 
regions. They are named Ti yo because they are beneath the earth. Some 
of these Hells are great and some small. Of the great eight are hot and 
eight cold : of the smaller ones, sixteen are situated at the gates of each of 
the great ones, and so disposed that the torments successively increase. Hence 
they are named Yeou thseng yo (hells of transmigration and reduplication). 
All living beings condemned to suffering pass through these hells; and 
when they have passed through their punishment in one they are transferred 
to another. The sixteen mansions of hell thus passed are,— 

1st. He sha ti yo (the hell of black sand). A hot blast blows over this 
black sand, making it burning hot, and carrying it against the skin and 
bones of the damned, who, thus scorched, suffer frightful anguish. 

2nd. Fey shi ti yo.—Balls of iron, crammed with burning excrements, shoot 
forward and press against the damned, who are thus compelled to lay hold 
of them. These burn the bodies and hands of the damned, who are then 
compelled to put them in their mouths and swallow them, so that, from the 
* Asiatic Researches, vol. xx, p, 480. 


300 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


gullet to the belly, there is nothing that is not burnt. Insects with iroit 
beaks peck their flesh, penetrating even to the bones. 

3rd, Thi ting ii yo.— The ministers of this hell stretch the damned upon 
red hot iron, and fix them there with nails ; nailing their hands and feet, 
and all round their bodies with five hundred nails. 

4th. Kio ti yo , the hell of hunger The demons pour into the mouths 
of the damned melted copper, which, descending from the gullet to the belly, 
causes intolerable anguish. 

5th. Ko ii yo, the hell of thirst.—The ministers of this hell take balls of 
red hot iron and place them in the mouths of the damned, thereby burning 
their lips and tongue. 

6th. Toung ho ti yo. —The damned are cast into caldrons where they are 
boiled, and where their bodies rise, and sink, and turn round till wholly 
destroyed. 

7th. To toung ho ti yo. —The ministers of this hell plunge the damned 
into caldrons, seethe and destroy them, and then, taking them out with 
hooks, cast them into other caldrons. 

8th. Shy mo ti yo.—The damned are laid upon a large hot stone ; other 
red hot stones keep their feet and hands stretched out, bruising their bodies, 
and reducing their flesh and bones to a stew. 

9th. Nouing hiouei ti yo. —The damned are bathed in blood and pus: 
which they are compelled also to swallow ; their bodies, members, head, and 
face are smeared with these, and they are thus consumed. 

10th. Liang ho ti yo. —In this hell there are mighty fires. The damned 
take iron measures to measure out the fire to consume their bodies. The 
pain of their burning extorts from them groans and loud cries. 

11th. Hoei ho ti yo. —A river of ashes, 500 yeou siun long, and as many 
broad, exhaling pestilential vapours : its surges dash and strike against each 
other with a terrific noise. Above and below there are iron spikes ; on the 
shores, forests of swords; the branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits, are all 
so many swords. The damned are carried along by the current: whether they 
sink or whether they float, the iron points penetrate their bodies, within 
and without, occasioning ten thousand pains. If they leave the stream 
and come to the shore, the swords there wound them, and panthers and 
wolves devour their living flesh. If they fly, and for shelter climb the trees, 
the blades turned downwards fall upon them, and those turned upwards 
lacerate their hands. If they support themselves upon their feet, their 
skin and flesh fail to the ground cut in a thousand pieces ; their nerves and 
their veins hang together. A bird with an iron beak pecks their head and 
brains. They then return to the river of ashes, and follow the current j 


CHAPTER XXXII. 


301 


but whether diving down or rising to the surface, the iron points penetrate 
their bodies, tearing the skin and the flesh. Blood and pus issue from the 
wounds, and nothing but the whitened bones remain floating on the surface. 
A cold wind then blows over and revives them ; and they pass on to the 
hell of iron balls. 

12th. Thi wan ti yo.— The damned are here compelled to hold in their 
hands red hot iron balls; their hands and their feet are thus destroyed; 
their bodies stand up blazing. 

13th. Ph fou ti yo.— The ministers if this hell stretch the damned upon 
red hot iron, and with hatchets of the same material, hack their hands and 
feet, their ears, noses, and members, causing them unheard of tortures. 

14th. Chay lang ti yo. —Panthers and terrific wolves gnaw and tear the 
damned. Their flesh falls off ; the bones are laid bare; and pus and blood 
run like a river. 

15th. Khian chou ti yo. —A violent wind shakes the leaves of the sword- 
tree, and the swords fall upon the bodies of the damned ; whose heads and 
faces and members are thus wounded and torn. An iron-beaked bird plucks 
out their eyes. 

16th. Hanging ti yo. —A strong cold wind blows over the bodies of the 
damned and stiffens them ; frost attacks their skin and bones, and causes 
them to fall down. The pain thereof extorts from them loud cries. Now, 
after the close of life, all living beings who have committed wickedness fall 
into these different hells.* 

These are the sixteen lesser hells. The names of the eight burning hells 
and the eight freezing ones, which are greater ones, equally express the 
nature of the punishment to which the damned are subjected. The eight 
burning hells are. 

1st. Siang ti yo. —In this hell, long and sharp talons of iron grow upon 
the hands of living beings, who with inflamed eyes and hearts full of rage and 
hatred, tear the flesh from each other, rending it in a savage manner. 
They believe themselves now dead ; but a cold wind passes over them, 
their skin and flesh are reproduced, and they revive. In the She lun this 
hell is called that of the resuscitated (Teng ho ti yo.) 

2nd. He ching ti yo. —In this hell demons bind the damned with chains 
of burning iron, and then decapitate or saw them. Burning chains clasp 
their bodies, scorch their skin, penetrate their flesh, and calcine their bones, 
causing the marrow to flow out; thus inflicting a thousand tortures. This 
hell is hence called that of black chains. (He, black, in a metaphorical 
sense.) 

* San tsang fa sou, B. XLV, pp. 19—21. 

2 D 


302 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


3rd. Tout/ t/a ti yo .—'This hell is also called Choung ho. Here are 
great mountains of rock, which spontaneously fall upon the damned, whose 
body, bones and flesh, are thus reduced to a pulp. Hence it is called the 
hell of compressed mountains. 

4th. Kiao wen ti yo .—Here the damned are cast into vast caldrons where 
they are boiled, and, suffering horribly, utter loud cries. 

5th. Ta kiao wen ti yo .—When the damned have been in this manner 
boiled by the demons, a wind blows that causes them to revive. They are 
then conveyed to furnaces where they are roasted, and suffer such cruel 
agonies that they utter frightful cries; and hence its name. 

6th. Chao chy ti yo .—Its walls are of iron. The fire which there burns 
produces whirlwinds of flame which consume the damned within and without, 
and burning their skin and their flesh, and roasting them, cause them ten 
thousand tortures : and hence its name. 

7th. Ta chao chy ti yo .—The walls of iron, reddened by fire within and 
without, consume the damned. There are pits full of flames and fire, and 
on both sides of these pits are mountains all of fire. The damned are 
taken hold of with iron pitchforks and tossed into the fire. Their flesh is 
roasted, causing them ten thousand tortures ; and hence the name. 

8th. Wou kian ti yo .—The damned undergo in this hell sufferings with¬ 
out intermission. It is the most terrible of all the hells. The appearance 
(the body) is there without interruption; the damned are there born and 
there die : when dead, they are reproduced ; their body experiences no inter¬ 
ruption, and hence the name. 

The eight cold hells are— 

1st. The hell ’O feou to, or ’O pou to, in Sanscrit Arhuda. This word 
signifies wrinkles, because the damned, by the cold to which their skin and 
flesh are subject, are wrinkled and chapped. 

2d. The hell Ny lay feou to, or Ny tseu pou lo (in Sanscrit, Nirarhuda ) 
This word signifies in Sanscrit chinks or chaps, because these are experien¬ 
ced by the damned there exposed to the cold. 

3rd. The hell ’0 cha cha, or Ho ho .—These words are not interpreted. 
The damned by reason of the extreme cold cannot move their lips, and can 
therefore only produce this sound. 

4th. The hell ’0 po po, or Hiao hiao po .—The damned, by reason of the 
extreme cold, are unable to move their tongues, and can only produce this 
sound betwixt their lips. 

5th. The hell ’Eou heou .—The damned by reason of the extreme cold 
can move neither tongue nor lips,—but the air passing into their weasand, 
produces this sound. 


CHAPTER xxxrr. 


303 


Cth. The hell Yo pho lo (in Sanscrit, Utphala), or ming pho lo. This 
Sanscrit word signifies blue water lilly, because the damned, by reason of 
extreme cold, have their skin blown (expanded) like this flower. 

7th. The hell Po teou mo, or Po the mo (in Sanscrit Padma, and in Pali 
Paduma). This Sanscrit word signifies ret? lotus; because the damned by 
reason of excessive cold, have their flesh plaited and coloured like this 
flower. 

8th. The hell Fen to ly (in Sanscrit Pundarika). This Sanscrit word 
signifies white lotus , because the damned, from excessive cold behold their 
flesh detach itself and fall away, leaving their naked bones like this flower. 
It is also named Ma ha po the mo (Maha padma) the great red lotus. The 
skin and the flesh are half opened and similar to this flower.—C. L. 

The division of the hells is somewhat differently given in the Buddhist 
works of Ceylon. They admit eight principal ones, under the name of Nara - 
ha, or Niraya. Around each of these are placed four smaller hells; the 
number of these places of punishment being thus raised to forty. In the 
Dharma-pradtpeka, or Torch of the Law, a Singalese work interspersed 
with ancient Pali and Sanscrit texts, there is a Sanscrit couplet in which the 
names of the eight principal hells are thus recapitulated : Samjivam, Kala- 
sutramcha, Samghato, Rduravas tatha, Maharduravatdpdkhyd, Pratapdchi - 
namakdh. These eight hells, mentioned in Menu (IV. 88, 89), are named 
Ashta mahanaraka. —E. B. 

(4) The king of the demons, Yan lo. —Also called Yan mo lo, or Yan 
ma lo; corresponding with -sjtt in Sanscrit.—Kl. 

(5) None but a very wicked man can do so.— To keep a prison is one 
of the twelve bad acts reproved by the law, and called ’ 0 liu yi. —C. L. 

(6) A bubble of water. —Sakya Muni says in the Seng yan king: “ The 
sea is originally motionless and clear; but when storms and whirlwinds 
vex it, they produce bubbles of water. To this may be compared the 
nature of the loftiest intelligence, which, like the sea is pure, bright, excel¬ 
lent, till moved by the vanities of the heart, which thus render the world 
void and without reality. This void and unreal world is absolutely analog¬ 
ous to the bubbles of the sea.”*—Kl. 

(7) The three precious ones. — Foe, Fa, Seng, (Buddha, Dharma, Sanga,) 
or the Supreme Triad. The Hoa Yan King says : “ That which is called 
Buddha, Dharma, Sanga, although the name expresses their substances, is in 
truth of one sole nature and consubstantial. Buddha signifies intelligence, 
indicating that his nature and substance are intelligent and rational, that he 
has enlightened the laws, and that he is neither void, nor being. Dharma 

* San tsang fa sou, B. XLV. pp« 19—21. 

2 d 2 


304 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA III AN. 


is the law, or that which regulates: designating the law of silence and of 
extinction, which serves as the rule of the natural virtues. Sanga signifies 
in Chinese the united hand, indicating that the excellent virtues separate not 
in two modes, but remain united/’* 

Relatively, the three precious ones are distinct and dissimilar. 1st 
Buddha : when he began to fulfil the law under the Po thi (bodhi) tree, he 
displayed a body of but six chang: when he came to discourse of the book 
Hoa yan, he appeared as the body of the honorable Lou she na. 2. The law; 
that is the great revolution, the lesser revolution, the precepts, the discourses, 
and the compilations which have been revealed in the five times. (The five 
times are, that of the Hoa yan, that of the Deer-park (see Chap. XXXIV.), 
that of the Fang teng, that of the Prajna, and that of the nirvana.) 3. 
Sanga; this designates such as have received the doctrine, who regulate 
the causes, and gather the fruits ; or the Shing wen, the Youan kio, and 
the Bodhisattwas. The Shing wen, are those who have obtained the 
understanding of doctrine by the discourses of Foe ; the Youan kio are those 
who have obtained the same by the consideration of the twelve concate¬ 
nations ; the Bodhisattwas are intelligence with affection. C. L. 

(8) The tree Pei to. —Hiuan thsang saw this tree two centuries after 
Fa hian, as also the wall built around it by King Asoka.—Kl. 

(9) Ten chang. —About 100 English feet. 


CHAPTER XXXIII. 


Hill of the Cock’s foot.—Sojourn of the great Kia she.—Abode of the Arhans in 

this hill. 

Going thence three li to the south, you come to a hill called 
the Cock's Foot . 1 It is here that the Great Kia she is actually 
present. He perforated the foot of the hill that he might enter 
it, and prevented any other from entering by the same way. 
At a considerable distance thence, there is a lateral opening, in 
which is the entire body of Kia she. The earth outside of this 
opening is that over which Kia she washed his hands. When the 
* San tsang fa sou , B. IV. p. 24. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 


305 


people of that country suffer from headache, they rub themselves 
with this earth and the pain is removed. In the same hill, to 
the west, is the abode of the Arhans.* The Clergy of Reason,* 
of all kingdoms and countries, come here annually to adore 
Kia she. Those who come with perplexed minds, behold in 
the night Arhans who discourse with them, and resolve their 
doubts; and having done this, disappear forthwith. The woods 
which cover this hill are very dense and tangled. There are 
many lions, tigers, and wolves, so that you journey not without 
apprehension. 

NOTES. 

(1) The Cock's Foot ,— in Sanscrit {fiffSTUX, Kukutapada ; according to 
the transci'iption of Hiuanthsang, Khiu khiu cha po tho. He adds that this 
hill is also called Kiu lou po tho , or the foot of the Venerable, 

He says that you arrive after travelling one hundred li from a woody plain to 
the east of the river Mou ho, which appears to be the Sone. He describes 
the hill as very steep and lofty, and crowned with three peaks. The ven¬ 
erable Great Kia she (Maha Kasyapa) dwells there still, for he dared not let 
his nirvana be seen ; and. hence it is called the Hill of the Foot of the 
Venerable .* 

According to the Chinese and Japanese Chronology Wa khan kwo to fen 
nen gakfoun-no tsu, Kia she, the third Buddha of the present age, retired 
to this mountain in the 53d year of the XXIX. cycle of sixty, corresponding 
with 905 B. C.+—Kl. 

The identity of names here produces a confusion of persons and dates. 
It is important to bear in mind that the name Kia she, or Kasyapa, which is 
that of the Buddha immediately preceding Sakya, belongs also to several 
personages of Buddhic legends. It is that of one of the heresiarchs 
(p. 144) ; that of the three principal disciples of Sakya (p. 295) and that of 
one of the five ecclesiastics converted by the latter (Chap. XXXIV, n. 6.) 
But the very passage quoted by M. Klaproth, referring the retreat of Kasyapa 
into the mountain of the Cock's Foot to the year 905 B. C. sufficently shows 
that Fa hian does not here speak of the Buddha Kasyapa, whose relics he 
elsewhere mentions as being preserved in the kingdom of Kosala (Chap. 
XX). The Kasyapa here spoken of can only therefore be one of Sakya's 

* Plan i tian, B. LXV. p. 43. 

t Nouveau Journal Asiutique, T. XII. p. 418. 

2 D 3 


306 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


disciples to whom the epithet great was ordinarily given. He is the first 
of those holy personages or patriarchs among whom was perpetuated the 
secret of the mysteries disclosed to them by their dying master. May we 
not in like manner account for the discrepancy betwixt the narrative of our 
author, who makes Kosala the country of Kasyapa Buddha, and the opini¬ 
ons of other writers who make Benares his birthplace ?—C. L. 

Were the position of Kia ye known with certainty there would be no diffi¬ 
culty in identifying the triple-peaked hill in question. Supposing the 
former to be, as I have conjectured, somewhere in the neighbourhood of 
Ham Gaya , there is a hill set down inRennel’s map of South Behar, which 
corresponds in situation with that given to Kukutapada both by our author 
and by Hiuan thsang. I subjoin that portion of the itinerary of the latter 
describing his route eastward from this neighbourhood to Rajagriha, in the 
hope that it may enable some enquirer on the spot to clear up the difficul¬ 
ties of the subject. “To the east of the river Mou ho, a great forest; 100 
ii, Kulcutapada (the Cock’s foot), or Kiu lo po tho (Gurupada). North¬ 
east of the Cock’s Foot, 100 li, mount Fo tho fa na; thence 30 li east, 
Si se chi, a forest; thence 10 li south-west, a great hill; thence 60 li east, 
the capital.” The river Mou ho cannot be, as M. Klaproth conjectures, 
the Sone, which is at least thrice too distant to answer Hiuan thsang’s 
description; neither can it be the Mohana, which joins the Nilajan many 
miles too far south to correspond with .his subsequent course. The river 
named in Rennel’s map Moorhur in its upper course, and Little Pompon 
as it approaches the Ganges, answers well as to distance and position. But 
be that as it may; if we protract the above route from Kukutap&da to 
Rajagriha, we shall find the direct bearing and distance of the former from 
the latter to be about W. S. W. 171 li, or in round numbers 24 miles ; and 
if we set this off from the well ascertained position of Rajagriha, it will 
very nearly correspond with the hill I mention, but not at all with any to 
the south of modern Gaya. I throw out these conjectures however only for 
the consideration of such as have local opportunities of investigating the 
point.—J. W. L. 

(2) The abode of the Arhans. — These are supposed to be still in exis¬ 
tence like their master, the great Kasyapa.—Kl. 

(3) The Clergy of Reason. —The Tao sse. There are three grand sys¬ 
tems of religion in China ; that of Confucius, that of Buddha (Foe), and 
that of Lao tsze. These are called respectively, the religion of the Li¬ 
terati ( Jou kiao ), that of Foe {(shy kiao ), and that of the Tao sse {Tao 
kiao). The last mentioned invariably ascribe the origin of their doc¬ 
trines to Lao tsze (or Lao tseu) who was born in the third year of the 


CHAPTER XXXIV. 


307 


emperor Ting wang of the Cheou dynasty, about 604 B. C., and died in 
523. (See Stanisla’s Julien, Livre des Recompenses et des Peines, preface 
p. vii.) “ The doctrine of Lao tseu insists upon the suppression of every 
vehement desire and of every passion calculated to disturb the peace and 
tranquillity of the soul. According to him, it should be the aim of every 
wiseman to exist without pain or sorrow; and in order to attain that happy 
quietude, he inculcates the banishment of the past from the mind and of all 
vain and useless solicitude about the future. To plan extensive enterprises, 
to agitate one’s self with the cares essential to success, to abandon one’s self 
to the devouring anxieties of ambition and avarice, is, according to this 
philosopher, to labour less for one’s self than for posterity. It is madness, 
therefore, to sacrifice personal comfort and happiness for the profit of sons 
and nephews. In acting for ourselves, Lao tseu recommends moderation 
both in our desires and in our efforts ; for he regards not as desirable any 
good that is obtained by trouble and annoyance.” Grosier, Description 
de la Chine, p. 571. This sect seems to have extended itself very rapidly ; 
we meet with many allusions to it in Fa hian; and I may mention as an 
instance of anachronism in Chinese chronology, that a follower of Lao tseu 
a Tao sse named A i is said to have recognized by supernatural signs the 
birth of Buddha, whom Chinese historians affirm to have flourished some 500 
years anterior to the founder of the Tao sse. Such inconsistences suffici* 
ently establish the unsoundness of this department of Chinese chronology. 
—J. W. L. 


CHAPTER XXXIY. 


Return to Palian foe.—Temple of the Vast Solitude.—Town of Pho lo nai.— 
Deer-park.—The first five converts of Foe.—The kingdom of Keou than mi.— 
Temple of Kiu sse lo. 

Fa hian, on returning to Pa lian foe ' ascended the Heng towards 
the west. After travelling ten yeou yarn he came to a temple 
called that of the Vast Solitude .* It is one of the stations of Foe. 
There are to this day ecclesiastics there. ' Following the course 
of the river Heng towards the west .for twelve yeou yans more, he 
came to the town of Pho lo naif in the kingdom of Kia shiS To 




308 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


the north-west of the town, at the distance of ten li, you come to 
the temple situated in the Deer-park of the Immortal : 5 this Deer- 
park was formerly the station Of a Py chi foe ; there are constantly 
deer reposing there. When the Honorable of the Age was on 
the point of accomplishing the law, the Gods sang in the midst 
of space, “ The son of the king Pe tsing embraced ecclesiastical 
life and studied the doctrine, and in seven days he will become 
Foe.” The Pi chi foe having heard this entered ni houan ; it is 
on this account he called the place the Garden of the plain of the 
Deer of the Immortal. Since the Honorable of the Age accom¬ 
plished the law, men of subsequent times have erected a chapel 
in this place. 

Foe being desirous of converting Keou lin amongst the five 
men, 6 these five men said amongst themselves, “ For six years 
past this Sha men Kiu tan T practises austerities, eats but one grain 
of hemp seed and one grain of rice daily, and has not yet accom¬ 
plished the law. How much the less, then, shall those accomplish 
the law who live in the intercourse of the world, abandoned to the 
(pleasures of the) body, the mouth, and the thoughts? To-day, 
when he shall come, let us be careful not to speak to him.” Foe 
having approached, the five men rose and worshipped him. 

At the distance of sixty paces to the north of this place, Foe, 
looking towards the west, sat down and began to turn the wheel 
of the law. He converted Keou lin 8 amongst the five men. Twenty 
paces to the north is the place where Foe rehearsed his history to 
Mi le , 9 Fifty paces south, is the place where the dragon I lo po 
asked Foe, “ After how long a time shall I be delivered from this 
dragon’s body?” In all those places they have erected towers, 
amongst which there are two seng kia lan inhabited by ecclesi¬ 
astics. 

Thirteen yeou yan to the north-west of the Deer-park, there is 
a kingdom called Keou than mi. 10 Its temple bears the name of 
Kiu sse lo ." Foe formerly stayed in this place, and on this 
account there are now many ecclesiastics there, the principal part 
of whom are of the Less Translation , Thence eight yeou yans to 


CHAPTER XXXIV. 


309 


the east, is the place where Foe converted the evil genii. There 
too, he had stations, and walked, and sat. In all these places 
they have erected towers; and there are monasteries in which 
may be a hundred clergy. 


NOTES. 

(1.) In returning to Pa Han foe. —Fa hian when Pa lian foe (Patali putra) 
directed his course in the first place towards the south-east to visit the new 
and the ancient town of Rajagriha, the capital of the Kings of Magadha, as 
also the Peak of the Vulture. From this mountain, situated to the south of 
the present town of Behar, and forming part of the ridge between the rivers 
Dahder and Banoura, he went in a westerly direction, crossed the river 
Ni lian (Nilajan or Amanat), and arrived at Kia ye , Buddha Gaya. Having 
visited the wonderful and the sacred places which rendered that vicinity 
famous as the scene of Sakya Muni's austerities during six consecutive years, 
he was about to return to Pataliputra to pursue his journey and embark at 
the mouths of the Ganges for Ceylon, and thence to China. He had not, how¬ 
ever, visited the holy city of Benares and its neighbourhood, equally famous 
in the history of Sakya Muni, as the country in which the Honorable of the 
Age had begun his ministry. Fa hian proceeded thither accordingly by the 
Ganges, and returned by the same route to Pataliputra. 

The thirty-third sheet of this work, containing the Budddist legend of the 
origin of the town of Pataliputra had been printed off ere I fell in with an 
interesting brochure published at Leipsig by M. Hermaun Brockhaus in 
1835, under the title of “ Foundation of the town of Pataliputra, and history 
of Upasolca , in Sanscrit and German. M. Brockhaus has extracted these 
two pieces from a collection of historiettes of Somadeva, of which manu¬ 
scripts exist in the Library of the East India Company in London. This 
account of the foundation of Pataliputra, not by a Buddhist, but by a Brah¬ 
min sectary, differs entirely from that given by Hiuan thsang. According 
to it a person named PutraJca finds in the Vindhya mountains two sons dis¬ 
puting about their paternal heritage, which consisted of a vase, a staff, and 
a pair of slippers, all possessing miraculous properties. By a strategem, 
Putraka becomes possessed of these three objects, and flies away with them in 
the air. These confer on him facilities for making love to the beautiful Patali 
and enable him to carry her off from the palace of her father. Having arriv¬ 
ed on the banks of the Ganges, he there, in compliance with the request of 
his beloved one, and by the miraculous virtue of his staff, built a city, 
which in honor of the Princess he calls Pataliputra. He becomes a powerful 


310 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA MIAN. 


monarch, is reconciled to his father-in-law, and governs the whole country 
as far as the sea. I am unwilling to omit this little narrative, although 
not equal in interest to that given by Hiuan thsang.* Kl. 

This is the legend to which I have referred in page 259. The reader 
may find it in the Journal of the Asiatic Society , Vol. XIV. p. 140 or 144. 
—J. \V. L. 

(2) A temple named the Vast Solitude.— 1 The Sanscrit etymon of this word 
I have been unable to ascertain. The temple spoken of is that called in 
Pali books Iswere patne ranaye , Issa patana ramaia, or Issi patlene. It was 
situated eighteen yojanas south of the Banian tree of the continent of Jambu- 
dwfpa. All the Buddhas are supposed to have there begun their ministry. 
It was formerly frequented by a great number of Magi, or sages, who had 
the power of flying in the air. It is for this reason, add the Pali books, 
that the temple is named Issa patana ramaia by those who have witnessed 
this.f—Kl. 

The temple here mentioned by Fa hian cannot be the Isipatanan of the 
Pali Annals, which describe the latter as an edifice, or large hall, at or near 
Benares, for the accommodation of Isi (saints, or devotees). Sakya is stated 
in the Buddhawanso to have departed from the neighbourhood of the hodhi 
tree, on the day of the full moon of asalhi (April-May, B. C. 588), saying, 
“ Let me repair to Baranasi,” and taking his dish and robes he performed a 
journey of 18 yojanas. On the road meeting an individual named Upako, 
travelling on his own affairs, he informed him of his attainment of Buddha - 
hood, and on the evening of the same day reached Isipatanan Baranasi . 
The distance here given of 18 yojanas, or a little more for the last day’s 
journey, corresponds very well with the actual distance from Benares to the 
neighbourhood of Gaya, say 130 or 140 miles; taking the yojana at Capt. 
Cunningham’s valuation of 7 miles.—J. W. L. 

(3) The city of Pho lo nai ;—that is the famous city of Benares, called in 

Sanscrit TrC’SPft, or The first two of these are derived, 

according to Indian Lexicographers, from Vara, the best, and anas, water; 
that is to say, the Ganges, on the banks of which this town is seated. It 
would appear however that the last name is the primitive one, although its 
derivation be irregular, from Varana, a river which runs to the north-east of 
Benares, and throws itself into the Ganges, and Asi, the name of another 
river to the south of the town. The Varan& is the present Berna, a name 
derived from Vri, to choose. The Chinese transcribe Varanasi Pho lo nai , 
and explain the name in two ways, first, ‘ Deer-park,’ and next, * surrounded 

* See M. Klaproth’s Note 4 or Chap. XXVII. p. 259 French, E. D, 
f Plan i tian, B. LIV. p. 4 v. 


CHAPTER XXXIV. 


311 


by the river;' both of these etymologies appear faulty. Hiuan thsang, who 
also visited this town, names it Pho to na sse. He describes it as a large 
capital situated to the west and near the Ganges, being 18 or 19 li in length 
and five or six in breadth. The dwellings of the lower orders are very 
numerous, the population very considerable, and the number of houses more 
than ten thousand. There is a great crowd of merchants. The manners of 
the people are gentle and polished. All study with zeal. The principal 
part put faith in the heterodox doctrines, and there are but few who honor 
the law of Buddha. The climate is temperate and the soil produces grain 
and fruits ; the trees have an extraordinary growth, as also grasses and 
plants. There are more than thirty Kia lan , and about three thousand 
priests and disciples, who all follow the doctrines of the less translation. 
There are about one hundred temples, in which ten thousand heretics wor¬ 
ship the self-existent God ( Iswara ). They cut their hair, or wear it knotted 
above the head. They go quite naked and cover their bodies with ashes. 
The most pious live in continual austerities and seek to abandon life for 
death. To the north of the town is the river Pho to na (Varana) ; on its 
bank, about ten li from the town, is the Kia lan, of the Deer-park ; there 
are about fifteen hundred priests and disciples, who all pursue the doctrines 
of the less translation. In the midst of the great enclosure is a temple more 
than two hundred feet high ; it is surmounted by a golden arrow. The found¬ 
ations are built with the stone An mou lo ho, and the walls are of brick. 
This temple is surrounded by a hundred chapels ; all have arrows, and the 
divine images are all gilt. In the midst of the temple are the statues of 
Buddha and of a great number of other Tathagatas, sculptured in the stone 
Theou shy. The images of all are in the attitude of turning the wheel of 
the law (preaching.)—Kl. 

(4.) The kingdom of Kia shi; i. e. Kasi, a name still borne by 

the country and town of Benares, and signifying resplendent. —Kl. 

(5) The Park of the deer of Immortal. —The site of this deer park is, I 
have little doubt, Sarnath, in the neighbourhood of which there is to this day, 
as my friend Capt. Kittoe informs me, a rumna for antelopes. It is called 
in Pali Migadayo , ‘ a place set apart for deer/ and was the site, as stated 
above, of the Isipatanan hall, famous as the scene where Sakya first turned 
the wheel of the Law. I do not know whether there may not be some 
allusion to the Py chi foe (Pratyeka Buddha) in the term * Deer of the 
Immortal / the Pratyekas being typified as the reader will remember (p. 10) 
by deer. —J. W. L. 

(6) Among the five men. —The 1 five men' here alluded to are the five 
bhikshus who attended upon Sakya Muni while the latter was for six years 


312 


pilgrimage of fa iiian. 


practising austerities on the banks of the Nilajan river. They accompanied 
him from Rajagriha in the full persuasion that he was destined to accomplish 
Buddkahood ; but when they found their emaciated master under the neces¬ 
sity of restoring his strength by food, their faith failed them, and pronounc¬ 
ing him “ a glutton and a loose man,” they repaired to Benares and led an 
ascetic life. (Csoma de Koros, Analysis of the M do, leaves 192-200). The 
Pali Annals supply the rest of the story. On his attainment of Buddha- 
hood, Sakya resolves, in acknowledgment of their attentions to him for so 
long a period, to preach the Dhammo first to these five ascetics ; and on 
enquiry finds that they are residing in the Isipatanan in the deer-park 
( Migaddyo , in Sanscrit a deer, and TT5T, a place ?) at Benares. Thither 

he proceeds. On seeing him approach from a distance, the five bhikhus make 
some jeering remarks upon his improved personal appearance, and resolve to 
show him no manner of respect. Sakya however penetrates their design, 
compassionately prevents them carrying it into execution, and finally ex¬ 
pounds the Law to them and converts them * This is the legend alluded to 
in the text.—J. W. L. 

(7) The Sha men Kiu tan.—Kiu tan is the Chinese transcription of the 
Sanscrit Gautama, one of the numerous surnames of Buddha, and that more 
particularly used in India beyond the Ganges, where it has helped to form 
the name of the principal divinity of the Siamese Somonakodom, by the 
addition of the epithet Somona (Sramana ), Samanean. All Buddhist nations 
have this name in equal honor ; in Tibet it is Geoutam; in Mandchou and 
Mongolian Godam. There is less agreement as to its proper signification ; 
for each of the nations that adore Buddha have upon this, as well as so many 
other points, such obscure and varying traditions as it is hardly possible to 
reconcile. Although Chinese books contain nothing satisfactory on this head, 
it may be not altogether useless to indicate briefly what they do say. Accord¬ 
ing to them Shy kia, is the honorable name of Kiu tan. All men know, 
say they, that Jou lai is descended from a Cha ti li (Kshatrya) prince ; 
but they do not know that Kiu tan was formerly a name of Shy kia. In 
the beginning he had five names, which were indiscriminately given him : 
Kiu tan , Kau che (sugar-cane), Jy choung (descendent of the Sun), She y 
(tranquil abode), and lastly Shy kia } which is now-a-days almost the only 
remaining one. 

Kiu tan is the family name of the Cha ti li kings; it signifies in Sanscrit 
perfectly pure , or the Great Vanquisher of the earth. At the beginning of the 
present age there was a king named Ta mao thsao. Having abandoned his 

* Tumour, Pali Buddhistical Annals, J. A, S. Vol. VII. p. 815. 


CHAPTER XXXIV. 


313 


kingdom to his minister, he went to the sage Kiu tan to study the doctrine, 
and adopting the name of his master, he called himself the little Kiu tan. 

The name Shy kia is interpreted in a less confused manner. In Sanscrit 
it signifies capable of piety. Shen yen, the principal wife of the king Kan 
che, had a son named Chany sheou, and the second wife had four. Shen 
yen, to favour her son, induced the king to banish from the kingdom the 
other four children. Having arrived at the north of the Snowy Mountains, 
Pei ching, who was the fourth of these sons, became a king, built a city, 
and founded a kingdom which he called She y (tranquil abode). His father, 
having repented of his exile, recalled the son, but the latter would not come; 
when the king sighing, exclaimed, “ my son Shy kia !” and hence the name. 

It is interesting to compare with this recital of the same circumstance, the 
extract from the Kali Gyur, by M. Ksoma de Kot os, given in note 9 Chap. 
XXII.—C. L. 

The Singalese have two, apparently contradictory, accounts of the origin 
of the name Gautama. According to Clough (Singhal. Diet.), Sakya Muni 
was so called because on entering upon religious life he followed the in¬ 
structions of the sage G6tama, whom they suppose to be the same philo¬ 
sopher to whom the Nyaya system is referred. According to others, Gauta¬ 
ma is the proper name of the family in which Sakya was born. This latter 
opinion is evidently identical with that entertamed by the Buddhists of 
China. Now these two traditions give rise to the following difficulties : the 
biographers of Sakya, as far as at present known, do not say positively that 
he received the instructions of Gautama ; and even if he had, there is nothing 
to lead us to believe that for this single reason he adopted the title of 
Gautama, which signifies the Gautamide. Secondly, the name of Gautama, 
is that of a descendant of the family of Gotama, a family which is one of 
the Brahmanical Gotras, or stocks. It would not appear that this could be 
that of a member of the warrior caste, as Indian jurisconsults affirm in the 
most positive manner that the Kshatryas have neither Gotras nor tutelary 
saints. It follows from this that Sakya could not bear a name which at 
once refers to the warlike tribe to which he belonged, and to the Brahman 
caste. The only way to solve th<? latter difficulty is to suppose that the 
name Gautama belonged, not to Sakya Muni alone, but to the warrior tribe 
of the Sakyas, as the Chinese suppose. We know indeed that it is permit- 
ed to the Kshatryas to adopt the family name of their domestic priest; and 
hence, to explain how the Sakyas came to be called Gautama, it is sufficient 
to suppose that they had a family priest or spiritual director, a descendant 
of Gotama. This purely Indian distinction betwixt the Brahmans, who 
have the right of designating their family by the name of the saint at the 





314 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN 


head of it, and the Kshatriyas, who borrow this name from their religious 
patron, may have been overlooked by the Buddhists, who do not recognise 
the distinction of caste to the same extent as the Brahmans. Ignorance of 
this prescription, which is so intimately blended with Brahmanical organisa¬ 
tion, may have given rise to these Singhalese traditions. The one may have 
tended to reconcile the title of Gautamide with the existence of the cele¬ 
brated philosopher Gotama; the other may have preserved the true tradi¬ 
tion without comprehending, or at least without seeking to explain it. E. B. 

(8) Converted Keou lin among the five men.—Keou tin is generally 
styled Keou li in Chinese Buddhist works. The following are the names 
of these five celebrated personages, according to Chinese books and Mongo¬ 
lian legends, in which the Sanscrit names are translated into Tibetan. 

1st. A jo Kiao chhin ju, in Tibetan Yang shi Go di ni ya.—A jo, says 
the Fan y ming i , is a surname which signifies knowing ; Kiao chhin ju is 
the name of the family ; signifying fire-pan. In Pali the name is transcrib¬ 
ed Aja Kondanjan. He was of a Brahman family, and had in preceding 
states of existence performed the service of fire, and hence his family name. 
It belonged to the maternal uncle of Buddha. 

2d. 0 pi, or Asvajit.—The Fan y ming i translates this word * one who , 
mounts on horseback,’ or 4 master of the horse.’ It is rendered in Tibetan 
Ta tol, which signifies 4 a caparisoned horse.’ O pi was of the family of 
Buddha. 

3d. Po thi, explained in Chinese as 4 the little sage;’ in Tibetan Ngang 
sen, or Ming zan. He was also of the family of Buddha. 

4 th. Shy ly Kia ye, that is, 4 tenfold strong Kasyapa,’ in Sanscrit 

Dasabala Kasyapa, is also named in Chinese Phofou, in Tibetan 
Lang ba. He was of the family of the maternal uncles of Buddha. The Fan 
y ming i observes, that we must not confound him either with Maha Kasyapa, 
or with the three Kasyapas, Uruwilva Kasyapa, Nadi Kasyapa, and Gaya 
Kasyapa. 

5th. Keou li thai tseu, or the prince royal Keou li, called by Fa hian 
Keou lin; in Tibetan Zang den. He was the eldest son of king Hou fan 
wang, maternal uncle of Buddha. 

These five personages are called in Singalese books Paswaga Mahanun - 
ansi, or the five great priests. They were very learned Brahmans, and chief¬ 
ly expert in preaching. Having recognised the characteristic marks upon 
the person of the last Buddha, to wit, the thirty-two Assulakunu, and the 
two hundred and sixteen symptoms called Magullakunu, they ascertained 
with certainty that he should become Buddha. Then adopted religious life, 
and followed and served him for the six years that preceded the date of his 


CHAPTER XXXIV. 


315 


attaining Buddhahood. After having heard his first sermons in this condi¬ 
tion, they entered upon eternal glory. 

A Mongolian tract entitled a “ History of the origin of the four verities 
of the whole law,” narrates in the following terms the conversion of the 
five personages in question : 

“ On the fifteenth day of the last month of spring of the year Brouh-ah, 
or ‘ the iron cow,’ during evening twilight, Buddha terminated his spiritual 
occupations, which consisted in the entire subjection of the spirits of Nisbana 
Nishpanna, birth) or the Seduction of birth. At midnight he 
obtained Dyan (t£fT»T, Hhyana, the most profound meditation ) or the high¬ 
est degree of the sanctity of anchorites, and at sunrise he had attained the 
nature of a veritable accomplished Buddha, existing of himself in supreme 
spirituality . 

The truly accomplished Buddha began then to turn the wheel of spiritual 
doctrine and to spread abroad the law, announcing that he had obtained 
victory over the depths of innate misery, that he had destroyed all the im¬ 
perfections which oppress the soul, and that he had become Buddha, the 
restorer of the world. Many among the people were seized with conster¬ 
nation and exclaimed, “ The king’s son hath lost his reason !” Others pre¬ 
tended that he had quitted the throne and his country to marry a daughter 
of Sakya ; but others proclaimed that the king’s son had become a truly 
accomplished Buddha. 

The Buddha then pronounced the following instructive discourse : ‘‘Of 
what avail is it to present the people with the nectar of spiritual doctrine 
when instruction is wanting ? They have no ears to hear it, and it is use* 
less to explain it.” He therefore retired anew into solitude in the country 
of Arshi, where he remained forty-nine days and as many nights to obtain 
a new Dyan. As soon as this was obtained, Esroun tegri (Brahma) ap¬ 
proached him, carrying in his hand a golden wheel with a thousand rays, the 
symbol of spiritual dominion, and said ; “ Truly thou hast not become 
Buddha for thine own welfare, but for that of all the creatures in the world ; 
deign to follow up the work and to spread abroad the doctrine.” But the 
Buddha accepted not the invitation. The Maha Raja tegri (great kings of 
spirits) holding in their hands the Na'iman takil (the eight sacrifices) came 
then and said to him : “ Master of tenfold strength ! great hero that hast 
vanquished all the innate seductions of the creature! deemest thou not fit 
that thou shouldst undertake the salvation of all beings ?” Their request 
was equally rejected. Finally Khourmousda tegri (Indra) himself accom¬ 
panied by the thirty-two other tegri, approached Buddha to adore him, and 
rendered him all the honor meet for a Buddha, encircling the spot where he 

2 e 2 


316 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


dwelt. Khourmousda, holding in his hand the Doung erdeni (the precious 
shell) said to him ; “ Oh thou creator of the nectar of spirituality, who 
like unto a precious medicament, purgest and cleansest the creature from the 
innate wickedness in which he slumbers, condescend to let us hear thy 
majestic spiritual voice!” At this invitation were present the five priests 
and disciples of the Buddha, to wit Yang s7ii Go di ni ya, r Ta tol, Ngang 
zen , Lang ba, and Zang den, who up to that moment had been unable to 
form a judgment of their master. Discoursing among themselves of the 
wisdom of Buddha, they said ; “ If Goodam hath become Buddha, we 
must necessarily adopt his spiritual doctrine ; but if he have not yet arrived 
at the rank of Buddha, why should we worship him?” At the same 
instant Yang shi Go di ni ya, who perceived himself on the eve of recogni¬ 
sing the Buddha, suddenly turned his eyes towards him and beheld his body 
shining with the lustre of gold, and encircled by a brilliant halo. Thoroughly 
convinced by this sign, he accomplished the first adoration due to the Buddha, 
and thus obtained the right of one day succeeding in his dignity. The four 
other disciples followed his example, and similarly adored Buddha. They 
said to him ; “ Since thou art become the veritable Buddha of the world, 
deign to proceed to Varanasi; for it is there that the throne of a thousand 
by-gone Buddhas hath been ; and it is there that thou sliouldst abide and 
turn the wheel of the doctrine.” Whilst they thus addressed him in prayer, 
they did not quit the posture of adoration ; a new halo surrounded the Bud¬ 
dha, and his entire body emitted rays of inexpressible splendor. 

Yielding to the pressing importunities of his disciples, Sakya Muni arose 
and proceeded to Varanasi, to adore and occupy the throne of the thousand 
Buddhas ; he chose for his principal seat that of the three Buddhas of the 
present age of the world, Ortchilong ebdektchi (Kt'akuchchanda ), Altan 
chidakchi (Kanaka Muni) and Gerel zakikchi (Kasyapa). 

In the same year, on the fourth day of the month of mid-summer, 
the Buddha received, as his first disciples, the five priests mentioned 
above and communicated to them the principles of the four spiritual verities. 
The existence of misery is the first; the second is that this immense misery 
extends its empire everywhere; final deliverance from this misery is the 
third ; and lastly, the fourth is the infinite number of obstacles which oppose 
this deliverance. “ Hence,” he added, “ you, who are priests, are equally 
subject to this misery, of which you should know the immensity; you should 
contribute to indicate toothers the road of deliverance, and you should do all 
that you can to remove all obstructions.” 

(9) Mi le. —See note 8—Chap. VI. 

(10) Keou than mi. —Hiuan thsang and the Chino-Japanese map append- 



CHAPTER XXXV. 


317 


ed to this volume, call this country Kiao chang mi; in Sanscrit 
Kausambi. It is the name of an ancient town situated in the lower part of 
the Duab, and neighbourhood of Kurrat; it is also called Vatsapattana. 
The name of Kausambi comes from its founder, Kusamba (Wilson, Sanscrit 
Diet. p. 255, Sec. ed.) Hiuan thsang makes this kingdom six thousand li in 
circuit, and describes it as very fertile. The climate is cold, the inhabi¬ 
tants are of a savage and ferocious character ; they nevertheless love study, 
and occupy themselves with science and the arts. There are about half a 
score of kia lan, but in a state of extreme dilapidation; nor were there 
more than three hundred priests and disciples; these follow the doctrines 
of the Less Translation. There are fifty chapels belonging to the heretics, 
who are extremely numerous in that country. In the town there is a great 
temple more than sixty feet high, where may be seen an image of Buddha 
carved in sandal wood, and fixed high upon the stone. This temple was 
constructed by order of the king Ou thoyan na, whose name signifies 4 Mani¬ 
fested love.’ —Kl. 

M. Remusat observes that it may be doubted whether Fa hian personally 
visited this kingdom of Keou than mi. He speaks indeed but vaguely of it, 
and instead of his usual expression, “ you arrive at such a place,’’—“ you 
reach such a town,” he contents himself with simply stating 44 there is such 
a kingdom.” The circumstances he reports are common to too great a 
number of places to enable us to fix its site with precision. The traveller’s 
indications serve only to fix it at about 60 miles N. W. of Benares. C. L. 

(11) Kiu sse lo .—Hiuan thsang found the ruins of it in the south-east 
angle of the town itself. He says that the temple received its name from 
that of a chief named Kiu sse lo (Kusala ?) who founded it. In the inte¬ 
rior is a chapel dedicated to Buddha.* 


CHAPTER XXXV. 


Kingdom of Tha thsen.—The Seng kia lan Pho lo yue. 

Two hundred yeou yan x to the south, there is a kingdom 
called Tha thsen , 3 where there is a seng kia lan of the former 
Foe Kia she , 3 They have excavated a great mountain of rock to 
* Pian i tian, B. LIV. p. 4. 


2 e 3 


318 


TILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


construct it. It consists of five stories; the lowest, which hath 
the form of an elephant, includes five hundred stone cham¬ 
bers. The second which hath the form of a lion, contains four 
hundred chambers. The third, which hath the form of a horse, 
contains three hundred chambers. The fourth, which hath the 
form of an ox, contains two hundred chambers. The fifth, which 
has the form of a pigeon, contains one hundred chambers. At 
the uppermost story, there is a spring of water which follows 
the circumvolutions of the rock. It encircles the apartments 
in its descent, performing thus the tour of the edifice to the 
lowest floor, the apartments of which also it waters, and then 
passes out at the gate. In all the stories there are windows 
pierced through the rock for the admission of the light, so that 
every chamber is perfectly illuminated and there is no dark¬ 
ness there. At the four corners of the edifice, they have hewn 
the rock and formed steps for ascending ; at present men ascend 
by means of small ladders to reach a place where formerly a 
man left the print of his foot. Here is the reason why they call 
this temple Pho lo yue. Pho lo yue in Indian signifies a pigeon . 4 
In this temple there are always Arhans who dwell there. The little 
hill is waste and uninhabited ; it is only at a very great distance 
that there are any villages. The inhabitants are a perverse race 
who do not recognise the law of Foe. The Samaneans, Brahmans, 
heretics, and all the people of the country have frequently seen 
men come flying to the temple. When therefore the Clergy 
of Reason of the other kingdoms would go thither and practice 
the rites, the natives said to them, “ Why come you not flying ? 5 
We have seen ecclesiastics arrive here on the wing!” The 
ecclesiastics answered, “ Our wings are not yet formed.” 

The roads of the kingdom of Tha thsen are dangerous, toil¬ 
some, and not easy to know. Those who desire to proceed thi¬ 
ther should first pay a certain sum of money to the king of the 
country, who will then appoint people to accompany them and 
show them the way. On their return, each points out the 
way to the others. Fahian was unable to proceed thither, and 


CHAPTER XXXV. 


319 


learnt what he has been able to report from the people of the 
country. 

NOTES. 

(1) Two hundred yeou yan .—About 270 leagues. 

(2) A kingdom named Tha thsen, that is the DaJcshina (the south), 

a denomination applied to the vast country called at present the Deccan, 
which is the vulgar pronunciation of Dakshina. —Kl. 

(3) A seng kia lan of the former Foe kia she .—The Buddha Kasyapa, 
whose religious epoch preceded that of Sakya Muni, is here spoken of. Kas¬ 
yapa is the third of the Tathagatas who have appeared in the kalpa in 
which we live. He is considered therefore to have lived about two millions 
of years before Sakya Muni. (See Chap. XX. note 39.—Kl.) 

(4) Pho to yue in Indian signifies pigeon.—Pho lo yue is not the exact 
transcription of the Sanscrit word TITT^rf, Paravata ; it is nearer that of 
qjTin', Paraba, which in Mahratta and other dialects signifies rock pigeon. 
It would not be easy to determine in what part of the Deccan the monastery 
of the pigeon was situated; this indication of Fa hian, who did not see 
it himself, is too vague to enable us to identify it among the numerous ex¬ 
cavations met with among the hills in India. Nevertheless, the fact of the 
existence of such a monument in the fifth century of our era, is important 
and interesting, and may lead to a modification of the opinion of many 
English savans who have visited India, that we are not warranted in ascrib¬ 
ing any considerable antiquity to these excavations. The celebrated H. H. 
Wilson, for instance, observes, “ A review of the religious revolutions of 
the Peninsula would be incomplete without some notice of the numerous 
and celebrated cavern Temples with which it abounds, and its other 
monuments of a religious character. The collections of Colonel Macken¬ 
zie furnish no addition to our knowledge of the former ; the subject is 
indeed capable of little except graphic illustration, and there being 
few drawings or plans of any value relating to them. The omission 
is of little importance, for the topic has been handled in the Asiatic 
Researches, and in the transactions of the Bombay Literary Society, 
in the latter particularly by Mr. Erskine, in a manner that leaves nothing 
to desire. To extensive knowledge that writer adds sound judgment, discri¬ 
minative observation, distinct conception, and perspicuous description, and 
his account of Elephanta, and his observations on the Bauddha remains in 
India, should be studied attentively by all who would investigate the history 
of the Bauddhas and Jains. The caverns in general are Saiva and Baud- 


320 


PILGRIMAGE O F FA HIAN, 


dha. There are a few Jain excavations at Ellora, but none at Elephanta or 
Keneri. There is no satisfactory clue to the date of any of these excava¬ 
tions, but there is reason to think that many of them bear a high antiquity. 
It may be questionable whether the Saivas or Bauddhas took the lead in 
these structures, but there is some reason to suppose the former, in which 
case the Saiva appropriation being consequent upon the downfall of the 
Bauddha faith, Mr. Erskine observes the Elephanta caves cannot be much 
more than eight centuries remote. The Bauddhas according to a tradition 
previously alluded to, came into the Peninsula only in the third century 
after Christianity and their excavations could not therefore have been made 
earlier than the fifth or sixth. The Saivas who formed similar caverns, 
were a particular sect, or that of the Jogis , as is proved by the sculptuies, 
the large ear-rings, the emaciated penitents and the repetition of the details 
of Daksha’s sacrifice, a favorite story in the Saiva Pur anas , none of which 
are probably older than the eighth or ninth century." Descrip. Catalogue 
of the Mackenzie Collection , Vol. I. p. lxix. 

The Foe koue ki completely refutes the hypotheses of those who affirm 
that the Buddhists made their appearance in India only in the third century 
of our era: a careful investigation of the environs of Patna, Gaya, and 
Benares would probably bring to light many of the monuments which Fa 
hian saw, and described. It is even probable that the monastery of the 
Pigeon still exists in the rock of the Deccan where it was originally cut, and 
that its discovery is reserved for some learned Englishman who shall traverse 
the country in the character of an able enquirer and a practised observer. 
—Kl. 

The description given by our traveller of these cave temples is by far too 
vague to enable us to identify them ; but the existence of such in the Dekhan 
at this early period is sufficiently established by this important chapter. 
Col. Sykes in his highly interesting Notes on the Religious , Moral , and 
Political state of India , is of opinion that Fa hian alludes to the caves of 
Ellora. “ Those who have read, says he, my description of the caves of 
Ellora, may be induced to recognise in these stupendous and magnificent 
works, the originals of Fa hian’s monastery and 1500 chambers. Considering 
the constant bias of human nature to enhance the value of that in which a 
personal interest is mixed up, I am surprised the travellers from the De¬ 
khan did not lead Fa hian a little more astray than they appear to have 
done. My description of temples supported by Elephants and Lions, of a 
temple of three stories (Teen lokh), of windows pierced in the rock, of multi¬ 
tudinous chambers, of the course of rivulets down the mountain and over 
and into the caves of the uninhabited locality, and finally, even the name 


CHAPTER XXXVI. 


321 


may be supposed to have originated in the flocks of blue pigeons which no 
doubt then, as now, inhabited the perforations in the mountains : my de¬ 
scription, I repeat, offers so many matters of approximation to the general 
points of the inflated and distorted accounts given to Fa hian by the people 
from the Dekhan, that it may fairly be permitted to us to consider that Fa 
hian is describing Ellora. The excavations in Salsette would afford the next 
approximation, and after these the wonderous labours at Junir (Jooneer) 
and the Aj^nta Ghat, Fabian's silence with respect to the Linga caves at 
Ellora, which he would have designated as those of the heretics, offers to 
my mind satisfactory proof that in his day they were not in existence. 
Apparently for the preceding 1000 years there had not been Hindu dynas¬ 
ties or a Hindu population sufficiently wealthy, powerful, or numerous, to 
have produced them.”—J. W. L. 

(5) Flying .—See note 2 of the preceding Chapter. 


CHAPTER XXXVI. 


Books and Precepts collected by Fa hian.— Precepts of the Mo ho seng chhi.— 
Precepts of the Sa pho to.—The A pi tan. 

Proceeding in an easterly direction from the kingdom of Pho lo 
nai, you return to the town of Pa lian foe. 1 Fa hian had from the 
first enquired for the Precepts ; but all the masters of the king¬ 
doms of India of the North had transmitted these from mouth to 
mouth, without ever reducing the volume to writing ; 2 on this ac¬ 
count he had come so far and had reached Mid-India. There, in 
a monastery of the Mo ho yan , he obtained a collection of the 
Precepts. This was the collection of the precepts of the Mo 
ho seng chhi, 3 which from the time when Foe was in the world 
has been followed by the majority. This book was com¬ 
municated (to Fa hian) in the temple of Chhi houan. As for 
the other eighteen collections, 5 each has its professor who 
maintains it. The great Kouet differs not from the smaller; 
when the smaller is not conformable, custom explains it. T But 
Fa hian obtained the most authentic and copious, those which 


322 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


comprised most amply the traditions, in a collection in which are 
brought together the Precepts, forming perhaps seven thousand 
kie these are the collected precepts of the Sa pho to, 9 those 
observed by the ecclesiastics of the land of Thsin. But all these 
Precepts having been transmitted from master to master, by a 
uninterrupted tradition, have never been committed to writing in 
books. 10 There were also in this collection sundry extracts from 
the A pi tan y 11 forming about six thousand Kie. There was also 
a copy of the Sacred Books’* in two thousand five hundred Kie, as 
also a copy of the sacred work on the means of attaining Pan 
ni hoaan, consisting of about five thousand Kie ; and of the A 
pi tan of the Mo ho seng clihi. 

On this account Fa Man dwelt here three years, studying the 
books and the Fan 13 language, and copying the precepts. Tao 
diking , 14 when he arrived at the Kingdom of the Middle, and be¬ 
held the law of the Sha men, and all the clergy grave, decorous, 
and conducting themselves in a manner greatly to be admired, 
reflected, with a sigh, that the inhabitants of the frontiers of the 
kingdom of Thsin were deficient in the precepts, and transgress¬ 
ed their duties ; and said that if hereafter he could become Foe, 
he wished that he might not be re-born in the country of the 
frontiers ; on this account he remained and returned not. Fa 
Man, whose first desire was that the Precepts should be diffused 
and should penetrate into the land of Han, returned therefore 
alone. 

NOTES. 

(1) Pa lianfoe. —Pataliputra. 

(2) To writing. —This would prove that in the northern part of India, 
which the Chinese call Northern Hian thsu , civilisation and the art of 

• writing were not so extensively diffused as in Mid-India, situated on the banks 
of the Ganges, and its affluents.—Kl. 

(3) The precepts of the Mo po seng chhi; —That is, of the monks of the 
Great Convocation who compiled the precepts of Sakya. The Singalese tra¬ 
ditions contain extremely interesting particulars connected with this subject, 
and must be the more carefully studied as they exhibit certain differences 


CHAPTER XXXVI. 323 

from the Mongol legends, and may on many points serve to modify and 
complete the extracts we have given of these. 

According to these traditions, in the eighth year of Ajassat (Ajatasatru), 
three weeks after the death of Buddha, five hundred monks, having set out 
from the town of Cimnanaw ( Kusinagara ), arrived at that of Rdjagriha-mu - 
rara (Rajgriha). The king, apprised of their arrival and of their intention of 
promulgating the doctrine, prepared for them in the mount Wabahara-park - 
wateye a magnificently adorned dwelling. These monks, with Kasyapa at 
their head, took possession of it and sat down according to their eldership, 
leaving vacant the seat due to Ananda. The latter having attained the 
rank of Arhan made the same known to the assembly in an extraordinary 
manner : the earth having opened in the middle of the hall, Ananda -came 
up from this opening, and took the seat that had been reserved for him. 

Then Maha Kasyapa, addressing the assembly, asked with what portion 
of the doctrine they would first engage themselves. They decided on 
the Venna pittaka (Vinaya pittaka), and Upalisthavira was charged to ex¬ 
pound it. The care of commenting on the Sutra pittaka , which contain the 
discourses addressed to men, devolved upon Ananda, who explained all the 
passages upon which he was questioned by Kasyapa, and composed the Bier - 
ganikaya (Dfrghanikaya) which contains the sixty-two bana-wara. (Each 
bana-wara consists of two hundred and fifty gathas or verses.) The Mad- 
dimenikaya (Madhyamanikaya) which is'a portion of the Sutra pittaka, and 
contains eighty thousand bana-wara, having been compiled and set in order, 
the first disciple of Damsenerviserrint-maha-Teroonwahansey , was charged 
to prepare it for the remembrance of man. Saninktenikaya (Samyuk- 
tanikaya) which is another part of the Sutra pittaka, composed of a hun¬ 
dred bana-wara, was compiled and divided into two parts under the 
editorship of Maha Kasyapa and his disciples. The Angotternikaya 
(Angottarauikaya) containing two thousand bana-wara, and which also 
forms part of the Sutra pittaka , was distributed into two parts, of which 
Anurudda, assisted by his first disciple, undertook the compilation. 

Next the Abhidharma pittaka, which contains the discourses preached to 
the gods, was compiled and divided into two. parts by the five hundred 
monks; who further collected in two classes, the inferior works, such as the 
Soutlernipata ( Sutranipata) the Dharmapadeya, &c. This collection of 
precepts, also prepared by Maha Kasyapa and his five hundred priestly 
confreres, was completed in seven months.* 

A hundred years after the death of Buddha, the king K;ilasoka invited 
Sabba Kamy Vasa (Sarvakame Vasa ) and other Arhans to the number of 
* Sac. and Hist. Books of Ceylon ; Vol. I. p. 32. 


324 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


seven hundred, to a convocation at Visalah (Vaisali) in the temple of Walu- 
caw. There he interrogated them upon the Istewir rewade (Sthaviravada) 
and the Vinaya, and charged them to set these in order : which was accom¬ 
plished in six months.* 

In the last place, the king Dharmasoka having asked Moggali-putte - 
Tissemahastervira, and a thousand other Arhans to make a new collection 
of the laws of Buddha, they assembled at Pellelup (Pataliputra) in the 
temple of Asocarahama (Asokarama), and completed this third collection 
in the space of nine months, the 235th year of Buddha, and the 17th of 
Dharmasoka.—C. L. 

(4) The temple of Chhi houan. —At first sight one might infer from 
this passage that the temple here spoken of was in the town of Pa lianfoe ; 
it was however in the kingdom of Kosala. (See Chap. XX.) It is well 
to remark here, that for a moment our traveller interrupts the narration of 
his journey. He is not at the end of it; he has yet many fatigues to under¬ 
go, many dangers to encounter ; but the religious purposes which encouraged 
him to undertake his long pilgrimage are fulfilled. He has reached the 
country where he can cultivate the sacred tongue, discourse of the precepts 
with enlightened ecclesiastics, meditate upon and collect them. No other 
land offers such resources; he sojourns therefore there, and having in a 
manner settled himself, recapitulates the results he had obtained up to that 
moment. India of the North which he first visited, was to him a land of 
little interest; a sterile and almost savage country, which he had rapidly 
traversed to reach that holy land, that classic scene where the monuments 
and traditions of his religion were preserved intact,—Mid-India. Scarcely has 
he entered it when he is every where received with tokens of interest and 
respect by his co-religionists, who applaud his courage and his zeal, and 
press him to satisfy their curiosity. Thenceforward temples and holy places 
succeed each other at short intervals, and it was in one of the most magni¬ 
ficent of all that he had seen, in the temple of Chhi houan , one of the 
most celebrated places of the worship of Buddha, that he for the first time 
obtained a copy of the Precepts.—C. L. 

(5) The eighteen collections. —There are two ways of dividing the sacred 
books; either in twelve collections (pou, classes) which at once contain 
those of the Great and the Less Translation ; or into eighteen classes, which 
are divided equally between these two doctrines. The nine classes of books 
devoted specially to the Great Translation are, the Sutra, the Gaya , the 
Gotha , the Itihasa , the Jataka , the Ahhutadharma , the Udana , the Vai- 
pulya and the Vyakarna. The Niddna } the Avadana, and the Upadesa are 

* Ibid. p. 43. 


CHAPTER XXXVI. 


325 


not included, because, says the Ta chi ton lan , 1st, in the Great Transla¬ 
tion, the supreme law is simply announced, without thence deducing motives 
{Yin Youan, Nidana); 2d, discourses and instructions (Yeou pho ii che, 
Upadesa ) are suppressed as useless because perfect reason alone is addressed ; 
3d, eternal truth is alone exhibited without the necessity of metaphors or 
comparisons (Pho tho, Vdda ) for its illustration.* 

The last three works are, on the contrary, suited for the Less Translation, 
which has not the Vaipulyu , the Vydkarana, nor, the Udana. In the Less 
Translation the law of life and of extinction are alone treated of; there 
is therefore no Py foe ho (Vaipulya). As men of the Less Translation are 
unable to become Buddhas, there is no Ho kia lo (Vyakarana), nor anv 
Yeou tho na (Udana), because they have need to borrow motives in order to 
speak.f The nine classes of books of the Less Translation are therefore the 
Sutras , the Geyas, the Itihasas , the Jatakas , the Abhutadharmas , the Ava- 
ddnas, and the Upadesas. 

According to the Buddhists of Nepal, the original body of the holy scrip¬ 
tures amounts, when complete, to 84,000 volumes, which are designated, 
either collectively or separately, Sutra and Dharma , or by that of Buddha- 
vachna (words of Buddha). Sakya Sinha first collected the doctrines of 
his predecessors, to which he added those peculiar to himself. The words 
Tantra and Purina are ordinarily employed, though in a very vague manner, 
to distinguish the esoteric and exoteric doctrines, and it would appear that 
they should be applied more particularly to those of the Upadesa and 
Vydkarana; the Gdthas , the Jatakas , and the Avadanas would appear, 
according to Mr. Hodgson, rather to be subdivisions of the Vydkarana, 
than distinct classes.—C. L. 

(6) The great Kouei. —The three Kouei correspond to the three precious 
ones , and in a manner complete the dogma of the triad, the basis of Sama- 
nean theology. Jou lai, when he began to perfect right intelligence, 
addressing himself to the chief among his disciples, opened to them the pre¬ 
cepts of the three Kouei, to quit evil, to return to good, and to establish 
the root of entrance into reason. The commentary upon the Hoa yan king 
says; “ The three precious ones are whatever is the most excellent and 
of the best omen. These are the three supports by . means of which great 
matters are to be distinguished, all the roots of the virtues to be produced, 
the evils of life and death to be removed, and the joys of Ni pan to be 
obtained. They are called the three stays or rests. 

1st. Besting upon Buddha. Kouei has the signification of return, i. e. 

* San tsang fa sou, B. XXXIII. p. 26 v. 

f Ta chi tou tun, quoted in the same, B. XXXIV. p. 20, 

2 F 


326 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA IIIAN. 


revolting against the master of evil and returning to the master of goodness. 
Resting upon the great intelligence of Buddha, you escape the three un¬ 
cleannesses (that of the sword, of blood, and of fire), and free yourself from life 
and death in the three worlds. Hence the sacred text, “ In resting upon 
Foe, you never more return to the other spirits whom the heretics adore. 

2d. Resting upon the Law.— This signifies that what Foe hath said, in¬ 
struction or teaching, may be set in action and should be practised by all men. 
Such is the doctrine of ancient traditions. To return, is to quit bad laws and 
attach one’s-self to the true law. In resting upon what Foe has taught, you 
are enabled to come forth from the three uncleannesses, and are emancipated 
from the evil of birth and death in the three worlds. Hence the sacred text, 
“ He who rests upon the Law is for ever incapable of killing or hurting.” 

3d. Resting upon the Seng. —Men of the three revolutions who leave 
their homes (i. e. embrace religious life), are heartily united in the law re¬ 
vealed by Foe, and are hence called Seng. Those who revolt against such 
sectaries as follow heretical practices ; those whose hearts are given up to 
the ecclesiastics of the three revolutions ; those who believe in the commu¬ 
nion of men of right practice and rest upon it ; such succeed in escaping 
from the three unclean things, and from the pains of life and death in the 
three worlds. Hence it is written in the holy text, “ He who returns to the 
ecclesiastics and rests upon them, never changes again and cannot rest upon 
men addicted to heresy.”*—C. L. 

(7) Custom explains it. —The passage is somewhat obscure, and ac¬ 
cording to M. Landresse may mean, “ the commentary explains it.” 

(8) Kie. —This is the abbreviated Chinese transcription of Gatha JIT^T, 
verses.—Kl. 

(9) The collected precepts of the Sa pho to. —There are five classes of 

precepts which form the treasure of precepts taught by the Tathagata, and 
these have been divided in the following manner: When the venerable of 
the Age had attained his thirty-eighth year and had obtained the law, he 
proceeded to the town. The king having finished his lenten meal, directed 
Raholo to wash the platter. In doing so the latter carelessly let it fall, and 
thus broke it into five pieces. That very day many bhikshus said to Foe, 
“ The platter is broken into five pieces.” Foe replied; “In the five 
hundred years immediating following my death, wicked bhikshus shall divide 
the treasure of the Pi ni (Vinaya) into five classes.” It afterwards so hap¬ 
pened that five disciples of the rank of Yeou pho khieou to (perhaps the 
Sanscrit Upagupta ) divided the great treasure of the precepts of 

the Tathagata according to their own views, in the following manners : 


* San tsang fa sou, B. IX. p. 16 v. 


CHAPTER XXXVI. 


327 


1st. Tan wou te , or Tan mo khieou to. —This word signifies the destruc¬ 
tion of darkness (apparently Tamoghna). This class is also called 

the ‘ Treasure of the law,’ and the “ Precepts divided into four parts.” 
It is said in the Ta tsy king; “ After my Ni phan, all my disciples shall 
collect the twelve classes of the sacred books ; they shall copy them, study 
them, bring them to the highest perfection, and shall publish the words 
thereof, which shall be called the Destruction of darkness. This class shall 
be that of Tan wou te.” The four parts of these precepts are ; 1st, the law 
of the Pi khieou; 2d, the law of the Pi khieou ni; 3d, the law of those 
who have received the prohibitions ; and 4 th, the law of the departed. 

2d. Sa pho to. —This Sanscrit word signifies the sum, or the precepts of 
the lectures (of Upasi ). This class is likewise called the True Law of the 
three worlds. It is said in the Ta tsy king ; “ After my Ni phan all my 
disciples shall collect the twelve classes of the sacred books ; they shall un¬ 
ceasingly study them ; and they shall add explanations and commentaries, 
so as entirely to solve all difficulties. This class shall be that of the Sa 
pho to” 

3d. Kia se Kouei. —This Sanscrit word signifies * contemplation of the 
double void;’ it is the rule of perfect existence. It is said in the Ta tsy 
king; “After my Ni phan all my disciples shall collect the twelve classes 
of the sacred books ; they shall say that there is no more Ego, and shall 
thus cast away their errors as dead carcases. 

4th. Mi ska se.—This Sanscrit word implies ‘ that which is not manifest 
and cannot be perceived: This class is also called that of “ the precepts 
divided into five parts » It is said in the Ta tsy king ; “ After my Ni 
phan, all my disciples shall collect the twelve classes of sacred books. The 
similitudes of earth, water, fire, air, shall not exist; there shall be naught 
but empty space. This class shall be that of the Mi sha se.” The five 
parts of these precepts are, 1st. The observances of the Pi khieou; 2d. 
Those of the Pi khieou ni. 3d. The law of received prohibitions ; 4th. 
The law of the departed ; 5tli. The law of the monks. 

5th. Pho thso fou lo. —This Sanscrit word signifies ‘ calf.’ It is said 
that in very remote antiquity there was an immortal who had sexual con¬ 
nexion with a calf. The latter produced a son, and hence the name calf 
remained in the family. In this class are discussed the vanity of Ego as 
well as the five collections (form, perception by the senses, reflection, 
action, and knowledge). It is said in the Ta tsy king ; “ After my Ni phan 
all my disciples shall collect the twelve classes of the sacred books. All 
shall proclaim that there is but one Ego, and they shall not explain the 

2 r 2 


328 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


similitude of the void. This shall be called the class of the Pho thso fon 
lo .*—Kl. 

(10) Were not committed to writing. —In Ceylon, from the time of the 
introduction of Buddhism in that island under king Deveny Paetissa (236 
years after the death of Buddha) to the time of king Valagambu (643 years 
and 9 months after the same epoch), the Buddhist doctrines were transmitted 
only by tradition and preaching. But at this time thirty-six learned priests 
taking counsel together, and being of opinion that in after ages there might 
arise priests of inferior capacity, collected together by the authority of the 
king, five hundred priests of recognised learning and sanctity ; and having 
assembled at a placed called Matula, began collecting and transcribing the 
sacred books.f—C. L. 

(11) A pi tan : —A Sanscrit word (Abhidharma) signifying * the peerless 
Law it is one of the three Tsang or 1 receptacles,’ that is, one of the 
three classes of books which contain the text and the sense of the laws. 
(See Chap. XVI. note 22). 

According to another classification of the sacred books, there are eight 
containants which comprise the different kinds of king , the liu, the lun 
and the cheou. King signifies law, a constant and unchanging thing. 
Whatever the saints have ruled, is called law ; that which the heretics can 
neither change nor destroy, is called constant, or invariable. Liu is the 
law; it is that which distinguishes the light and the weighty, and withstands 
sin. Lun are the discourses which expound the most profound meaning of 
the laws. Cheou signifies vow; it designates prayers and invocations. 
Amongst all these books there are different ones for the great and the less 
translation, for the Ching wen (Sravaka) and the Youan kio (Pratyeka 
Buddha). Those of the Ching wen are ; 1st. The * receptacle of the king,’ 
which comprises the four A han (Agama). A han signifies ‘ the peerless 
law,’ because the law of the age admits of comparison with no other law. 
The four A han are ; the long A han (dirgagama), the mean A han (madya- 
magama), the mixed A han (samyuktagama), and the supplementary 
A han (angottaragama), which, doubtless by mistake, the commentator 
in the San tsang fa sou quotes as the first. 2d. l’he receptacle of the Pre¬ 
cepts, in which are comprised those of the four Fen (degrees), namely those 
of the Pi khcou, of the Pi khieou ni, of the Cheou kia'i (received prohibi¬ 
tions) and of the Miei chang (terminated disputes) ; the ten Soung (lec¬ 
tures), of Foe’s disciple Yeou pho li and others. 3d. The receptacles of 
the discourses, that is, the Api tan and others. 4 th. The receptacle of 

* Fan y ming i, quoted in the San tsang fa sou. B. XX. p. 17 and sequel. 

t Upham, Vol. II. p. 43. 4 


CHAPTER XXXVII. 


329 


prayers; this includes the Dharani, to remove all sickness and avoid all 
evil. Dharani is a Sanscrit word signifying invocation , or that which will 
promote good and restrain evil. The four Tsang are peculiar to the Pratye- 
ka Buddhas. 5th. The receptacle of the king , in which are comprised the 
Miao fa gun hoa king , the Tafang Foe hoa yen , and other King . 6th. The 
receptacle of the precepts , such as the Shen kia'i king of the Phou sas, the 
prohibitions of the Fan tvang and others. 7th. The receptacle of the dis¬ 
courses, such as the Ta chy tou lun , the Shy ty king , and others. 8th. 
The receptacle of the prayers , such as the Ling yen cheou, the Ta pe'i, and 
other prayers.*—C. L. 

(12) A copy of the sacred books. —We have seen that this word applies 
more particularly to the Sutras. (Chap. XVI. note 24). The enumera¬ 
tion which Fa hian here gives of the collection he had made is one of the 
most interesting points of his narrative ; and the number of the Gdthas or 
verses he assigns to each book, proves that many of these works were very 
extensive. We have thought it right to enter upon some special details 
connected with this subject; but we must again refer to the more general 
classification given by M. Remusat, in the notes to Chap. XVI.—C. L. 

(13) The Fan language ; i. e. the Sanscrit.—Kl. 

(14) Ta chhing. —The last of the little band who accompanied our pil¬ 
grim from Chhang ’an. See Chap. I. 


CHAPTER XXXVII. 


Kingdom of Chen pho.-Kingdom of To mo li ti.-Fa hian embarks.-He ar- 
rives at the kingdom of Lions. 

Following the course of the Ganges towards the east the dis¬ 
tance of eighteen yeou yan , 1 you arrive at the great kingdom 
Chen pho , s on the southern bank of the stream. In the chapels 
of Foe on our route, and in four places where Foe sat, they have 
erected towers which are apparently inhabited by ecclesiastics . 3 
Thence proceeding easterly about fifty yeou yanf you come to the 
kingdom of To mo li ti.> There is the embouchure into the sea . 6 

* Hoa yen king, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, B. XXXI. p. 6 v. 

2 f 3 


330 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


In this kingdom there are twenty-four seng kia lan , all peopled 
by the clergy, and the Law of Foe is flourishing. 

Fa hian dwelt there two years, occupied in transcribing the 
sacred books and depicting the images. At this time some mer¬ 
chants putting to sea in large vessels, shaped their course to the 
south-west; and in the beginning of winter, the wind being then 
favourable, after a navigation of fourteen nights and as many 
days, he arrived at the Kingdom of Lions.' The people of the 
country (of To mo li ti) assert that this kingdom is about seven 
hundred yeou yan 8 distant from their’s. It is situated on an 
island; it is fifty yeou yan 9 from east to west, and from north to 
south, thirty yeou yan . ,(> To the right and to the left there are 
small islets to the number of a hundred ; their distance from each 
other is in some cases ten li, in others from twenty to two hun¬ 
dred li; all are dependent upon the great island. Many preci¬ 
ous things and pearls are procured there. There is a district 
which produces the jewel Mo ni, u and which may be about ten li 
square. The king sends thither people to protect it, and when 
they have gathered the jewels he takes three pieces out of every 
ten. 

NOTES. 

(1) Eighteen yeou yam. About 24 leagues.—Kl. 

(2) The great kingdom of Chen po.—Champa or Cham - 

papuri, is the name of the ancient capital of Kama , king of Anga desa, 
and elder brother, by his mother, of the Pandu princes, being the son of 
Sitrya and Kunti before the marriage of the latter with Pandu. The town 
for this reason bore also the name of Karnapura, and it was situated on the 
site of the present Bhaghulpore, or at least not far from that place. We 
have seen that the kings of Anga, were for a long time the suzerains of the 
princes of Magadha, but that the latter emancipated themselves from their 
tributary condition under the reign of Maha Padma, who with his son Bim- 
basara overcame the kingdom of Anga and made it a province of their own. 

Hiuan thsang places the kingdom of Chen pho in Mid-India, and gives it 
four thousand li in circumference. The capital was protected on the north 
by the Ganges, and was more than forty li in circuit. “ The country, he 
adds, is fertile, the climate warm.” In his time there were half a score of 


CHAPTER XXXVII. 


331 


kia lan, for the most part in a state of dilapidation ; and not more than 
two hundred monks. The heretics had about twenty temples.* The name 
Champa is still found on some maps, preserved in that of Champanagar. 
—Kl. 

(3) Inhabited by ecclesiastics. —We may infer from this expression 
that Fa hian did not land from the vessel^ in which he descended the 
Ganges.—Kl. 

(4) Nearly fifty yeou yans. —About 68 leagues.—Kl. 

(5) At the kingdom of To mo li ti. —Hiuan thsang calls this kingdom 
Tan mo ly ti. “ It belongs, says he, to Mid-India : it is fourteen hundred 
li in extent and its capital is ten li in circumference. It is situated on the 
sea shore, and great traffic is there carried on by land and by water. ,, He 
found there ten kia lan inhabited by more than a thousand monks. The 
heretics had about fifty temples. Hard by the town was a tower erected 
by king Asoka in honor of a throne of the four past Buddhas, and of other 
memorials of their lives and acts, of which traces existed in the neighbour¬ 
hood^ To mo li ti or Tan mo ly ti, is the transcription of rTl^THt, 
Tdmralipti, which signifies 11 spotted with copper The place which 
formerly bore this name is the modern Tumlook, on the right bank of the 
Hughli (more properly Rupnarain) not far from Calcutta. The Mahavansa 
calls it Tamalitti, corresponding exactly with our author’s transcription. 
This country enjoyed, according to the Buddhists, great renown in ancient 
times. At the close of the 5th century before our era, the king Dharmd- 
soka, sovereign of all Jambudwipa, despatched to the king of Ceylon an 
ambassador who embarked at this port. According to the narratives of 
Fa hian and Hiuan thsang, this town was still of considerable importance in 
the 5th and 7th centuries.—Kl. 

It is well to remark that, according to Wilson, the name of this province 
is Tamalipti (affected with sorrow) ; whence it follows, if this orthography 
be correct, that there is no need to invent the form Tdmralipti in order to 

infer from it the Pali Tamalitti. —E. B. 

(6) The entrance to the sea .-—that is, of the Ganges. This circumstance 
leaves no doubt regarding the situation of th« country, and we may further 
infer from the account of Fa hian, that the Hughli was in his time one of the 
principal branches of the Ganges.—Kl. 

(7) The kingdom of Lions. —In Chinese, Sse tseu koue, which is the trans¬ 
lation of the Sanscrit (‘ having lions’). Hiuan thsang writes the 

name Seng kia lo, and says that the country is comprised within the limits 

* Piani tian, B, LXXV. art, 13. 
t Ibid. art. 18. 


332 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA IIIAN. 


of India. He gives it seven thousand li in circumference ; and the principal 
town 40 /*. He adds that this island was formerly called that of ‘Jewels,’ 
because of the number of precious things it produced.* Further details 
will be found in the notes to the following chapter.—Kl. 

(8) Seven hundred yeou yan. —About 930 leagues.—Kl. 

(9) Fifty yeou yan. —68 leagues.—Kl. 

(10) Thirty yeou yan : —about forty leagues. As M. Remusat remarks, 
these distances and their proportions are accurate ; but Fa hian is deceived 
precisely as Eratosthenes was in giving greater extent to Ceylon in longitude 
than in latitude. By the little islands grouped to the right and the left, it 
is evident that he means the Maldives.—C. L. 

(11) The jewel Mo ni. —In the original Mo ni chu; chu properly signi¬ 

fying a pearl, but in the general sense to be here taken, a jewel. TffuT, 
Mani, in Sanscrit, is a jewel, precious stone; and corresponds in some mea¬ 
sure with the Chinese chu. Pearls are called vnulctd, in the same 

language ; but a precious stone is called the jewel of Mani; pearls more¬ 
over are not here spoken of, but carbuncles, which are said to emit rays 
of light in the night time. The description of the Mani given in Buddhist 
works is fabulous.—Kl. 


CHAPTER XXXVIII. 


Description of the kingdom of Lions.—Prints of the feet of Foe.—Monastery 
of the Mountain without Fear.—The tree Pei to. The tooth of Foe.—Ceremo¬ 
nies performed in honor of it.—Chapel of Po thi.—The Samanean Tha mo 
kiu thi. 

This kingdom 1 was originally uninhabited by man; only demons, 
genii , 2 and dragons dwelt there. Nevertheless, merchants of other 
countries trafficked with them. When the season for the traffic 
came, the genii and the demons appeared not, but set forward their 
precious commodities marked with the exact price; if these suit¬ 
ed the merchants, they paid the price and took the goods . 8 As these 
traders went, and came, and sojourned, the inhabitants of other 
* Plan i tian, B. LXVI. art. 4. p. 11 v. 


CHAPTER XXXVIII. 


333 


kingdoms learnt that this country was very beautiful ; these also 
came, and eventually established a great kingdom. 

This country is temperate; the vicissitude of winter and 
summer is unknown. The grass and the trees are ever ver¬ 
dant. The sowing of the fields is at the pleasure of the people ; 
there is no (fixed) time for that. 

When Foe arrived in this country he was desirous of convert¬ 
ing the wicked dragons.* By the strength of his divine foot, he 
left the print of one of his feet to the north of the royal city, and 
the print of the other on the summit of a mountain. 5 The two 
traces are at the distance of fifteen yeou yan 6 from each other* 
Over the mark of that to the north of the royal city, they have 
built a great tower forty chang T high. It is embellished with 
gold and silver, and the most precious materials are combined to 
form its walls. They have moreover erected a seng kia lan, 
called the Mountain without Fear? where are five thousand 
ecclesiastics. They have erected a hall to Foe, with carvings in gold 
and in silver. Amongst all the precious things to be seen there, 
is an image of blue jasper, two chang high; its entire body is 
formed of the seven precious things. It sparkles with splendour, 
and is more majestic than can be described. 

Many years had now elapsed since Fa Man left the Land of 
Han : 9 the people with whom he had mingled were men of foreign 
lands. The hills, the rivers, the plants, the trees,—every thing 
that had met his eyes, was strange to him. And what was more, 
those who had begun the journey with him were now separated 
from him ; some had remained behind, and some had died. Ever 
reflecting on the past, 10 his heart was tliougthful and dejected. 
Suddenly, while at the side of this jasper figure, he beheld a 
merchant presenting in homage to it a fan of white lute¬ 
string of the country of Tain} 1 Without any one perceiving it, 
this excited so great an emotion that the tears flowed and filled 
his eyes. 

The ancient kings of this country sent to the Kingdom of the 
Middle in quest of the seeds of the tree Pei to," They planted 


334 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


these alongside the hall of Foe. When the tree was about twenty 
chang ' 3 high it leant to the south-east. The king, fearful that 
it would fall, caused it to be supported by eight or nine pillars, 
which formed an enclosure supporting it. The tree, in the centre 
of the place where it was propped up, put forth a branch which, 
perforating the pillar, descended to the earth, and took root. Its 
size was about four wei. 16. These pillars, although cleft in twain, 
and thrown down, have not been removed by the people. Beneath 
the tree they have erected a chapel in which there is a seated 
image. The Clergy of Reason habitually and unremittingly wor¬ 
ship it. 

In the city they have moreover erected an edifice for a Tooth 
of Foe. It is entirely constructed with the seven precious things. 
The king purifies himself and abstains from the observance of 
br&hmanical rites. The inhabitants of the city possess faith and re¬ 
verence, and are firm in their convictions. From the earliest times 
of this kingdom, they have never experienced famine, scarcity, 
calamity, or trouble. The clergy have in their treasury an infi¬ 
nity of precious things, and Mo ni beyond price. The king 
having entered into this treasury, beheld a jewel Mo ni , and 
immediately felt a desire to carry it away. Three days after he 
made amends. lie sent for the clergy, and prostrating himself 
before them, repented. Opening his heart to them, he said, 
“ I desire that you should enact a law, forbidding future kings to 
enter your treasury; at least, until they shall have accomplished 
forty sacrifices in the character of mendicants ; then let it be lawful 
for them to enter.” 

The town is inhabited by .many magistrates and grandees, and 
the merchants Sa pho. li The houses are beautiful, and the 
public edifices well adorned. The streets and the roads are level 
and straight. In all the crossways there are halls built for 
preaching. On the eighth, the fourteenth, and the fifteenth day 
of the moon, they erect a lofty pulpit, and a great multi¬ 
tude of the four castes assembles to listen to the Law. The natives 
of the country assert that they may have amongst them altoge- 


CHAPTER XXXVIII. 


335 


ther from fifty to sixty thousand ecclesiastics, who that all eat in 
common. The king, moreover, has in the town, five or six 
thousand whom he supplies with food in common. When 
these are hungry, each takes his own pot, and goes in quest of 
what he requires. They only take as much as their pots will 
contain quite full, and return. 

The tooth of Foe 1 ® is commonly exposed to the public in the 
middle of the third moon. Ten days beforehand, the king, 
having selected a large elephant with great care, sends a preacher, 
who, clad in royal robes and mounted on the elephant, beats a 
drum and calls out, saying, “ The Phou sa, in the course of three 
A seng ki ,' T practised mortifications without regard to his person 
or his life. He relinquished the queen his wife ; he tore out his 
eyes to give them to a man ; he cut his own flesh to redeem a pi¬ 
geon ; he sacrificed his head to present it in alms ; he cast his body 
to a famished tiger, and spared not even the marrow of his bones. 18 
Thus, by such austerities, and by the practice of mortifications for 
the good of all living beings, even thus did he become Foe. During 
the forty nine years that he continued in the world, he preached 
the law, and converted by the doctrine. Those who were un¬ 
settled, he confirmed ; those who knew not the rules, knew them. 
All living creatures were thus saved, and he entered into Ni 
houan ; since his Ni houan 1497 years 19 have elapsed. When the 
Eyes of the World were quenched, all living beings experienced 
deep sorrow.” Ten days after this, the tooth of Foe is conveyed 
to the chapel of the Mountain without Fear . Every man in the 
kingdom, enlightened by the doctrine, and anxious to promote 
happiness, comes from his quarter, to level the roads, to adorn the 
highways and streets, to scatter all sorts of flowers and perfumes. 
Then, after the chaunts, the king causes to be displayed on both 
sides of the road, representations of the -five hundred successive 
manifestations 20 in which the Phou sa assumed different forms ; 
such as that of Siu ta nou , the transformation into lightning, 21 that 
of the king of the elephants, 22 and that of the stag-horse. 23 These 
figures, painted in various colours, are carefully executed and ap- 


336 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


pear living. At last the tooth of Foe is carried through the 
midst of the road, and is adored wherever it passes. Arrived at 
the chapel of the Mountain without Feat •, they ascend into 
the hall of Foe ; they burn there perfumes, making accumulated 
clouds; they perform religious acts without intermission night 
and day the whole of the ninety days. The tooth is then con¬ 
veyed back to the chapel in the town. TL his chapel is very ele¬ 
gant ; during the day, they open the gates and perform the 
ceremonies according to the law. 

To the east of the Chapel without Fear there is a hill on which 
is a chapel named Po thi y 3i where there may be two thousand 
ecclesiastics. Amongst their number is a Samanean of great 
virtue, named Tha mo kiu ti y whom the people of the country 
hold in great veneration. He hath dwelt in a stone house near 
forty years, constantly occupied in charitable acts. He has suc¬ 
ceeded in domesticating in the same house serpents and rats, 
without either doing injury to the other. 

> 

NOTES. 

(1) This kingdom .—The fubulous origin of Ceylon, as detailed by Iliuan 
thsang, is evidently borrowed from traditions collected in the place itself, 
or drawn up from the originals, although differing in some notable respects 
from the accounts of the Singhalese. According to the Chinese traveller f 
the daughter of a king of southern India, set out on a lucky day, to marry 
the prince of a neighbouring country. Her escort fled at the sight of a lion, 
leaving her exposed to his attack. But the king of the lions, placing her 
upon his back, bore her away to his den, situated in a remote part of the 
mountains. There he caught deer for her, and brought her fruits, and 
furnished all her wants according to the season. For months and years that 
princess lived with him, and eventually becoming enceinte, she brought forth 
a son and a daughter, who in form were human, although begotten by a 
being of so different a nature. The son grew apace, and soon acquired 
strength equal to his father. Having attained puberty, and become sensible 
of his manly virtue, he inquired of his mother, “ How can a beast of the 
forest be my sire, when my mother is human ? Not being of the same species 
how can they copulate ?” The mother having apprised him of what had 


CHAPTER XXXVIII. 


337 


formerly happened ,— u Men and beasts, he added, are of natures wholly dis¬ 
tinct ; let us immediately fly from this place and return no more.” “ Be¬ 
fore fleeing,” rejoined the mother, “ let us be sure that we can.” The son 
then began to follow the lion ; he climbed the mountains with him * traversed 
the defiles, and examined the passes with care: then one day when his sire 
was far away, he took his mother and sister in his arms and reached the 
places of human habitation. The mother said ; “Let us carefully conceal 
our secrets, and avoid repeating our history ; for if it become known, men 
will despise us. Let us go hence to the kingdom of my father ; we are in* 
secure in a land where the religion of the people is different from our own.” 
The inhabitants having asked them whence they came, they replied, “ We 
are originally of these countries ; exiled into far-away parts, children and 
mother, we mutually aid each other and seek our homes again.” The 
people of the country, touched with compassion, immediately hastened to 
provide them with whatever they required. Meanwhile the king of the 
lions, returning to his cave, and finding neither his dear son nor daughter, 
issued furiously from the depths of the mountains and sought the dwellings 
of men. The earth shook with his roar. He attacked both man and beast, 
destroying every thing that had life. The inhabitants came out immediately to 
take and destroy him. They beat the drums, sounded the great conchs, 
and armed with cross-bows and spears, formed themselves into bands 
the better to resist the danger. The king commanded them to keep toge¬ 
ther, and putting himself at their head, they gradually stole through the 
forest and passed the hills. The roaring of the enraged lion struck terror 
into man and beast, who fled away in alarm. The king proclaimed that who¬ 
ever should capture the lion and so deliver the kingdom from the calamity 
which afflicted it, should be rewarded with all manner of honors and rewards. 
On hearing this proclamation of the king, the son, addressing his mother, 
said to her ; “ Our wretchedness is extreme ! I know not how to alleviate 
it. I must answer this appeal.” “ Say not so” replied his mother; “ though 
this be a savage beast, he is not the less thy father; and our misfortunes 
are no sufficient reason that you should destroy him.” The son rejoined ; 
“ Men and beasts are of different natures; what relations of justice can 
exist between them ? Our right is that of resistance; what hope can he 
entertain in his breast ?” Thus said, he armed himself with a dagger, and 
offered to fulfill the king’s command. A numerous band accompanied him. 
The lion was couching in the forest; not a man dared to approach him. 
As soca. as the son appeared the lion fell upon him and threw him to the 
ground; when the latter, full of rage and forgetting their relationship, plun¬ 
ged his dagger into the lion’s belly. The lion suffered great anguish from 


338 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


the wound, and died, still preserving his tender love for his son as if the 
latter had done him no injury. The king then asked, “ Who is this man ? 
if there be aught supernatural in him, we must give him the rewards, but 
punish him also severely." The son having narrated his history, “Ap¬ 
proach," said the king ; “ thy sire was savage and could have no paternal af¬ 
fection. The nature of wild animals is difficult to subdue, and wicked senti¬ 
ments are easily produced in their hearts. To destroy that which is noxi¬ 
ous to a people, is a noble action ; to take the life of one’s father is to do 
violence to the heart. Rewards of every kind shall honor this action, but 
exile shall punish the transgression. Thus shall the law of the state be 
respected, and the word of the king be free of duplicity." He then equip¬ 
ped two large vessels, which he loaded with provisions and necessaries, and 
unwilling that the son of the lion should remain longer in the kingdom ; he 
gave him young men and young damsels for his reward, who set sail in 
different vessels according to their sex. That on which the young men 
embarked reached the Island of Jewels ; and, as many precious things were 
found there, there these remained. In the sequel, some merchants having 
landed on that island, the inhabitants killed the chief of them, retained 
their wives and had many children. They elected chiefs to govern and 
magistrates for the regulation of affairs ; they founded towns, built villages, 
and in memory of the daring action of their ancestor, called the kingdom 
they had established by his name. The vessel on which the damsels em¬ 
barked, arrived at the western part of Persia, in a country inhabited by 
genii: those who landed had children by their intercourse with the genii, 
and established the “ Great Occidental kingdom of Women.” 

The natives of the Kingdom of Lions have oval faces, dark complexions, 
square chins, and lofty foreheads ; they are robust and bold ; their temper 
is hot and passionate. IIow can they, who are the descendants of a savage 
beast, endure insult ?*—C. L. 

(2) Only demons and genii. —The greater number of travellers who have 
been led to investigate the religious and historical traditions of Ceylon, 
make mention of these supernatural beings, with whom the first colonists 
from India for a long time struggled ere they obtained quiet possession of 
the entire island. According to the Rajavali, demons possessed Ceylon 
during 1844 years, namely, from the time of its depopulation consequent 
upon the famous wars betwixt Rama and Ravana, to the time when Sakya 
Muni, desirous of establishing his religion in that island, created an exten¬ 
sive fire which destroyed the whole country and compelled the demons to 
■flee to the ocean and take refuge iu the island of Yakgiri dewina. f Accord- 

* Pian i tian, B. LXVI. p. 11. et seq. 

t Upham, Sacred and Hist. Books of Ceylon, Vol. II. p. 16 and p. 168 etseq. 


CHAPTER XXXVIII. 


339 


ing to the computation of some authors, this happened when Buddha was 35> 
years of age ; 588 B. C. and 45 before the Nirvana .* 

Hiuan thsang repeats, with that pretentious prolixity which is common 
with him, those Buddhist legends which relate how Seng kia lo (Sinhala) 
effected the riddance of Ceylon for ever from the demons who had with¬ 
drawn before the power of Sakya, at the time when he had subjected the vest 
of their race. In this narrative, which we shall greatly abridge, it is stated 
that formerly in the Isle of'Jewels there was an iron town inhahabited by five 
hundred Lo sha women, (Rakshasi), or female demons, whose craftiness 
was equalled by their cruelty. Some merchants having come to the island 
for commercial purposes, the Lo ska , bringing perfumes and playing upon 
various instruments, advanced to meet them and invite them to enter the 
town for repose and amusement. Seduced by the beauty and conversation 
of these women, the merchants had (sexual) commerce with them, and each 
of them brought forth a son. The chief of these strangers was Seng kia , and 
his son was named Seng kia lo. The latter having in a dream had a revela¬ 
tion of the dangers which threatened him, he and his companions secretly 
gained the seashore, and with the assistance of a celestial steed escaped from 
the island. The queen of the Lo sha flew in pursuit of Seng kia lo , and 
endeavoured by her charms and carresses to seduce him to return : but, im¬ 
moveable, Seng kia lo pronounced curses upon her and menaced her with 
his sword,—saying, “ Thou art a Lo sha , I am a man ; being of different 
natures, we should never unite; if we do so, we shall be mutually wretched. 
It must be that your destiny should fulfil itself! ” Then the Lo sha pub¬ 
licly reproaching Seng kia lo with his conduct and his ingratitude, accused 
him of having abandoned her, rejected her, and overwhelmed her with male¬ 
dictions and insults after having taken her to wife and accepted her presents. 
The king touched with her complaints and blinded by her beauty, protected 
her against Seng kia lo, and, despising the cautions of the latter, took her to 
wife. But in the middle of the night she flew back to the Isle of Jewels 
and returned instanter with five hundred other Lo sha , carrying desolation 
and slaughter into the palace of the king. She laid hold of all who were there, 
and glutting themselves with the flesh and blood of some, and bearing off 
the carcasses of others, returned to the Isle. Next morning, by daylight, 
the magistrates and the courtiers assembled for the royal audience, and 
awaited long the opening of the palace gates. Seeing none, and hearing 
none, they crossed the threshold, and found in the halls nought but piles of 
bones ! Turning away from the sight, they uttered loud cries, and wept in 
ignorance of the cause of such so great a misfortune. Seng kia lo apprised 
* Trans . As. Society, Vol. III. p* 58. 

2 G 2 


340 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN 


them of the whole, and having narrated what had happened to himself, they, 
struck with his courage and wisdom, elected him for king. lie then prepar¬ 
ed arms, and having collected troops embarked to defy the power of the 
Lo sha. Having overcome these he compelled them to throw themselves 
into the sea, and take refuge in a neighbouring island ; and then destroyed the 
iron town. Presently people from all sides flocked to the island, and a 
kingdom was established which bore the name of the king, Seng kia lo.* 

The Singhalese books state that it was Vijitfh (Vijaya), son of Sinhala, 
who at the head of seven hundred warriors, and with the aid of Cawany, 
effected the destruction of the supernatural beings that remained in the 
island after the expedition of Sakya Muni amongst them.f—C. L. 

(3) They took the goods. —This account exhibits a curious analogy with 
the well known passage in Pliny, which ascribes the same mode of traffic 
to the Seres : Fluminis ulteriore ripd mercea positas juxtd venalia tolli ak 
his, si placeat permutatio.% —R. 

(4) Converted the wicked dragons.— The dragons and the genii which 
originally inhabited Ceylon, were called, the former Ndgas, and the second 
Yakshas, in Pali Yakka. Their conversion by Sakya Muni has furnished 
Singhalese writers with numerous legends which, with the traditions relating 
to Vijaya , form the heroic age in the history of Ceylon. Every thing is 
supernatural in these legends ; the journey of Sakya from central India 
through the air, his discussions with the Yakshas , the miracles he performed 
to convince them, and the circumstances attending their final expulsion from 
the island, which ever after adhered to the faith of Sakya. Side by side 
with these legends are those referring to Vijaya Sinhalbhu, who came 
from Kalinga, with seven hundred men, and occupied at first but a limited 
extent of coast. If there be any thing historical in these incoherent and 
often contradictory narratives, it is rather in the legends relating to Vijaya 
than in those detailing the pretended journey of Sakya. These several 
recitals may be consulted in the compilation of Upham. We may remark 
that the account given of the arrival o f Mahinda in Ceylon, and the conver¬ 
sion of the king Devenipaetissa, would seem to prove that it was only under 
this prince, that is to say, if Ceylonese chronology be correct, about the 
fourth century before our era, that Buddhism was established in Ceylon.§ 
—E. B. 

According to the Chinese, one century after the Nirvana, Mo hi yn ti lo 

* Pian i tian, B. LXVI. art. 4, pp. 13—16 v. 

t Upham, Sac. and Hist. Books of Ceylon, Vol. I. p. 69, and Vol. II. p. 171, 
et seq. 

t Hist. Nat. B. VI. ch. XXIV. 

$ Sac. and Hist. Books of Ceylon, Vol. I. p. 84 et seq. 


CHAPTER XXXVIII. 


341 


(Mahendra), younger brother of king Asoka, abandoned the world and pro¬ 
ceeded to diffuse the doctrine among the inhabitants of Ceylon. These 
changed their customs and were converted to the true faith. Two centuries 
later, the doctrines of Foe were divided into two classes, denominated Mo 
ho pi ho lo (Mahaviliara), and the other A po ye chi li (Abhayashri).*— 
C. L. 

(5) The print of his feet on the top of a mountain. —This mountain, 
from its height and the*veneration with which it is regarded, has ever 
attracted the attention of travellers, to whom it is known as Adam's Peak. 
At the time of Sakya’s third visit to Ceylon, fifteen years subsequent to his 
first, Saman-deva Raja came to adore him, and said, “ Behold, O Buddha, 
that lofty mountain, whose name is Samana kuta, blue as a rock of sap¬ 
phire, its summit concealed in the clouds ! Many Buddhas have there left 
their relics, by means of which the memory of their transit through the 
world is preserved among men. Deign Jto add one jeyel to these, and 
leave there the impress of thy foot, which shall be to this islea precious 
blessing.” On this Buddha raised himself to the clouds, and hovering above 
the mountain, the latter sprung from its base to receive in the air the im¬ 
press of the blessed foot, and then fell back again to the place it occupies 
to this day.f 

Buddhists mention a great many prints of this kind ; the veneration these 
receive, scarcely inferior to that paid to Buddha himself, has no doubt con- 
ted to augment the number. It is quite plain that every country must have 
its own, and that each sect pretend to honor in it the divinty it adores, or 
the head of the doctrine it has embraced. All therefore do not belong to 
Sakya Muni; indeed the Pali texts recognise but five genuine ones, named 
Pancha pra patha, ‘ the five divine feet.’ Capt. Low has devoted an 
article to this subject in the Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society of 
London.—C. L. 

The Singhalese name this impression and the mountain on which it exists, 
Hammanelle Siripade , or more exactly, Samadhela Sripada , that is, 4 the 
sacred foot of the mountain of Samana/ Samana , or Saman , is the tutelary 
God of this mountain. In the Mahavansa this mountain is called Samanta 
kuta parvata, and it is very probable that Samanta kuta is the primitive 
form of Samanhela. Valentyn has given a minute and exact account of 
this mountain and the images found on the summit of Adam’s Peak, in his 
description of Ceylon ; a work of which W eston has made extensive use in 
his compilation of Singhalese History. This mountain, according to Valen¬ 
tyn, is situated about fourteen German miles from Colombo. Its summit 

* Plan i tian, B. LXVI. t Upborn, Vol. II. p. 23. 

2 G 3 


342 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HI AN. 


can be reached only by means of an iron chain fixed to the rock, the links 
of which serve as steps. The summit forms an area of a hundred and 
fifty paces in length and a hundred and ten in breadth. In the centre of 
this space is a stone seven or eight feet long and projecting about three feet 
from the soil. It is there that devotees imagine that they recognise the 
print, some of Sakya Muni’s foot, others of Adam’s. 

The Singhalese however admit of only one print on the mountain Saman- 
hela; a few traditions only affirm that Sakya Muni placed one of his feet 
upon Samanhela and another upon that of the Madura. What may have 
given rise to the tradition of the twofold impress mentioned by Fa hian 
is that the mountain is divided into two summits, upon one of which is to 
be seen the Sripada ; but the distance of fifteen yeou yans which according 
to our author, separates these footprints, is certainly exaggerated. Lastly, 
as we have just had occasion to see, there is nothing more common amongst 
Buddhist nations than the existence of such prints of the feet of Sakya. 
Even in Ceylon it is stated that he left such memorials in other parts of 
the island, and in particular in the bed of the river Calamy.*—- E. B. 

(6) Fifteen yeou yans. —60 or 70 English miles. 

(7) Forty chang. —A chany is a measure of ten Chinese feet ; and the 
Chinese foot is eight lines shorter than ours. Taking the chang as equal 
to three metres and sixty centimetres, the height of this tower would be 
twenty-two metres.—C. L. 

(8) The Mountain without Fear; —in Chinese, Wou'wei. Hiuanthsang 
appears not to have known this building ; in fact he does not mention the 
temple of the Tooth of Foe, of which we shall speak immediately, nor of 
another smaller temple near it, in the vicinity of the king’s palace. Both 
were sumptuously adorned. +—C. L. 

The Sanscrit name of this Seng kia lan is Abhayagiri, a word which 
means exactly ‘ the mountain of security.’ The Mahavansa and the Raja- 
ratnakari state, that the king W r alakanabhaya, or according to the latter 
work, Deveny Paetissa, caused the temple of a heathen named Girrie (doubt¬ 
less Giri) to be destroyed, and caused to be constructed upon its site twelve 
temples consecrated to Sakya, which communicated with each other; and in 
the midst of which was erected an immense vihara. He then combined his 
own name Abhaya with that of Giri, so that the entire monument was 
named Abhaya Giri.% According to the Mahavansa, this event took place 
about the year 456 of Buddha, or about eighty-seven years before our era. 
Possibly the explanation thus given by Singhalese authorities is somewhat 


CHAPTER XXXVIII. 


343 


strained ; for by holding to the sense of the word Abhaya Giri, which is 
regularly rendered ‘ Mountain of Security ,’ there is no need to have re¬ 
course to the history of the priest Giri, and the more so as this name does 
not appear suitable for a man. It is as well to note that Fa hian under¬ 
stood this word in the sense in which we have just explained it, so that he 
had more accurate information than is to be found in Singhalese legends. 
—E. B. 

(9) The land of Han, —or* China. According to the practice of the Chinese, 
their country is designated after the dynasties which have ruled it with the 
greatest glory, even after they have long ceased to reign. 

(10) Reflecting upon the past; —in the text, looking back upon the sha¬ 
dow. 

(11) The land of Thsin. —The name of a celebrated dynasty which is 
ordinarily applied to all China, but which here more particularly desig¬ 
nates the province of Shen si of which Fa hian was a native.—C. L. 

(12) The tree Pei to. —In Sanscrit, Bodhi , a name given from the cir¬ 
cumstance of Buddha having acquired supreme intelligence under its shadow. 
According to Singhalese tradition it wasfrom Central India that the kings 
of Ceylon obtain a branch of this tree. The Rajavali states that Mahindo Ku- 
mara, son of Dharmasoka, one of the successors of Chandragupta, drew 
aroUnd the right branch of the Bodhi tree a yellow line, and that he entreat¬ 
ed the gods that that branch should be transported to Ceylon. In an instant 
the branch detached itself from the tree as if it had been cut with a saw, 
and rising in the air, it sped to Ceylon, where it was received in a golden 
vase and afterwards planted in consecrated ground.* This event took place 
in the reign of the Singhalese king Deweny Paetissa. Now the year 236 
corresponds with our 307 B. C. if we admit the Singhalese computation, 
which if I am not mistaken, must be reduced by some fifty years to make 
it synchronise with other indications drawn from Bmhmanical sources. A 
passage from the Rdjanatnakari proves that the bodhi was planted near 
Anaradhapura, that at least to which Fa hian refers, and which was still 
flourishing in his time. Moreover the narratives of our traveller is much 
more copious than the Rdjdvali. According to the Mahdvansa , which nar¬ 
rates the fact as detailed in the works quoted, the branch of the holy tree 
was conveyed to Ceylon in a less miraculous manner, that is, on a ship.— 

E. B. 

(13) Twenty chang. —About 200 English feet. 

(14) Four Wei.— About 234 English inches. 

(15) Sapho merchants.—Sa pho is the Chinese form of perhaps a Sin- 

* Upham, Vol. II. p. 184. 


344 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


ghalese expression; but our historical and philological information connected 
with Ceylon, is not so circumstantial as to enable us on every occasion to 
restore with certainty such words and expressions as present themselves, 
more especially when a secondary interest attaches to them as in this in¬ 
stance would appear to be the case. 

(16) The tooth of Foe.—Buddhists recognise the authenticity of several 
relics of this kind, (see Chap. V. note 5. and Chap. XIII. note 8 ;) but 
none is so celebrated as that here spoken of, hor has any been subject to 
such variety of fortune. The Singhalese name it the Dulada wahanse (the 
honorable tooth). According to their accounts, Mahasana, who ascended 
the throne of Ceylon 818 years after the death of Buddha, despatched an 
ambassador w’ith rich presents to Guhasiha , king of Kalinga rata (Kalinga 
d£sa) in the south of Bengal, to obtain from him this precious relic, then 
in his possession. The king of Kalinga consented to yield it up ; but Maha¬ 
sana dying in the interval, it was received with the greatest solemnity by his 
son Kiertissry magawarna, who built a temple for its reception. Fourteen 
hundred years after the death of Buddha, the Malabars came from the coast 
of Coromandel to the attack of Ceylon, and having seized that country, per¬ 
secuted the faith, and carried off the sacred tooth to the banks of the 
Ganges (perhaps the Godavery). Eighty-six years afterwards, Mahalu 
Wijayaha expelled the Malabars, and some years subsequently Parctkra- 
mabahv, brought back again to Ceylon the tooth of Buddha. In the latter 
part of the 16th Century, the Portuguese carried it off in their turn, when 
Constantino of Braganza, refused considerable sums for its redemption, and 
animated with religious zeal, publicly reduced it to ashes. Next morning 
however the priest of Buddha found another tooth in the corolla of a lotus, 
in every respect similar : and it is this that is now in the possession of the 
English, and for the restoration of which the late king of Burmah sent two 
embassies to Calcutta. 

On comparing the first of these particulars with the date discussed above, 
we may infer that our traveller visited Ceylon not long after the king of 
Kalinga had sent thither the tooth of Buddha.—C. L. 

For a very ample account of this celebrated relic and its fortunes the 
reader may refer to the late Hon. Mr. Tumour’s account in the Journal of 
the Asiatic Society, Yol. VI. p. 856, et seq., an account which he concludes 
by mentioning that he had held official custody of the relic since 1828 ; it 
having been found necessary for the tranquillity of the country that the 
British Government should retain so precious an object in its own posses¬ 
sion. “ During that period,” says Mr. Tumour, “ the six-fold caskets in 
which it is enshrined have been twice opened ; once in May 1828, at the 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 


345 


request of the natives, when a magnificent festival was celebrated, which 
lasted a fortnight; and once in 1834, to admit of Sir Robert and Lady 
Horton seeing it, on which occasion the scientific Austrian traveller, Baron 
Von Hugel was also present. The keys of the sanctuary are never absent 
from my library, excepting during the actual performance of the daily reli¬ 
gious ceremonies, and at night a military guard is posted at the temple/' 

I fear, however, that there are good grounds for believing that this object 
of idle curiosity and miserable superstition, guarded with 90 much pomp 
and care, has no pretensions whatever to a higher antiquity than the 16th 
century at furthest; and that we cannot boast with Col. Sykes, that “ this 
celebrated relic, after falling into the hands of the Malabars and Portuguese 
is now safely lodged under the lock and key of the English.” The circum¬ 
stances under which it was destroyed, not by order of the Viceroy, D. Con¬ 
stantino de Braganza, as stated by M. Landresse, but in direct opposition to 
his wishes, are thus detailed by the Portuguese historian, Diogo de Couto. 
“ As soon as the king of Pegu heard of the capture of Jafnapatam and the 
seizure of the tooth-relic by the Viceroy, he despatched ambassadors to the 
latter, offering unlimited sums of gold for its redemption, and making pro¬ 
mises of eternal friendship and alliance in the event of compliance with his 
wishes. The Viceroy consulted his captains and counsellors, who were 
unanimous in thinking that so magnificent an offer should not be rejected. 
Meanwhile the rumour of this negociation reached the ears of the Arch¬ 
bishop, D. Gaspar, who immediately went to the Viceroy, expostulated 
with him upon a traffic so dishonoring to God, and forbade him to sell for 
any amount of gold, an object which contributed to the perpetuation of 
idolatry among the heathen. The Viceroy was too good a Catholic to act 
upon his own responsibility in opposition to the wishes of the Archbishop; 
but having summoned a council, to which the latter and all the clergy were 
invited, he laid before them the urgent necessities of the state, which might 
at once be relieved by so splendid a ransom. The subject was fully discuss¬ 
ed by the assembly, and it was finally determined that the ransom, were it 
even the whole world, could not be accepted, as being offensive to God.” 
The historian mentions by name the whole of the clergy who came to this 
honorable determination, and proceeds ; “ This being agreed to, and a reso¬ 
lution being drawn out and signed by all present, a copy of which may be 
seen in the record-office (torre do tombo ), the Viceroy commanded the 
treasurer to bring forth the tooth, and then transferred it to the Archbishop. 
The latter, in the presence of all, with his own hands, put the tooth into a 
metal mortar, and having broken it into pieces, cast the fragments into a chaf- 
fingdish, which he then caused to be thrown, ashes, coals and all, into the 


346 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


middle of the river, in the presence of all the people, who looked on from their 
windows and verandahs. The Viceroy murmured greatly at this transaction, 
saying that the heathen had no scarcity of other idols, would easily fashion 
another tooth as substitute for that which had been destroyed, and would 
pay it the same veneration ; while so great a sum of money would have been 
a substantial benefit to the state in its present need. To soothe the Viceroy, 
and serve as a memorial of this event, the ecclesiastics had a shield prepared, 
having in the centre a painting representing himself and the Archbishop 
at a table, around which were the other prelates and clergy who had been 
actually present on the occasion, and in the midst a blazing chaffer ; while 
the heathen were standing by holding in their hands bags of money which 
they threw upon the fire, with these five letters, the initial of Constantino’s 
name, CCCCC; and underneath the words Constantinus cceli cupidine 
cremavit crumenas; implying that Constantino, intent upon heaven, despis¬ 
ed worldly treasures,” &c. De Couto, Da historia da India , Dec. VII. 
B. 9. Chap. XVII. On referring to a subsequent volume of the same 
history, I find that notwithstanding its complete destruction as here record¬ 
ed, this miraculous tooth was sold some years afterwards to the king of 
Pegu, who celebrated its arrival in his kingdom with extravagant festivals 
and rejoicings !—J. W. L. 

{17) In the course of three A seng hi. —This is the transcription of the 
Sanscrit Asankhya , which signifies innumerable and which is the first of the 
ten great numbers explained by Foe to indicate how boundless and inex¬ 
haustible are the virtues of the Buddhas, the acts of the Bodhisattwas, the 
ocean of their desires, and infinite laws of mundane developments .* The 
Asankhya is equivalent to a hundred quadrillions. ** Asankhya signifies 
an infinite number ; with what propriety speak ye of three Asankhyas ? 
asks the Kiu che lun .” “ Because,” it is retorted, “ Wou sou signifies in¬ 

numerable, and not without number .” 

Sakya Muni led the life of a Bodhisattwa during three Asankhyas. The 
first comprises the existence of three score and fifteen thousand Buddhas, 
(or three score and fifteen ages of the world, as a thousand Buddhas must 
appear in every age of the world) from Sakya, surnamed the ancient , to Shi 
khi Foe (Sikhi Buddha). In his earlier births Sakya Muni was a manu¬ 
facturer of tiles, and was named Ta kouang ming. Sakya the ancient hav¬ 
ing come to lodge with the tiler, the latter rendered him the triple service 
of preparing him a seat of grass, of enlightening him with a lantern, and 
of giving him to drink. He worshipped Foe, and conceived the wish, if in 


* Hoa yan king, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, B. XLIII. p. 16. 


CHAPTER XXXVIII. 347 

time to come he should become Foe, he should bear the name of his guest. 
Hence he is now called Shy kia wen. 

The second Asankhya begins with Shi khi Foe, and presents a succession 
of seventy-six thousand Buddhas, up to the advent of Jan teng Foe (Dipan- 
kara Buddha). When Jan teng Foe was born, his body shone like a lamp ; 
and hence he took this name on attaining Buddhahood. Sakya, who was 
then named Jou toung, presented him with three lotus stalks ; he took off 
the deer skin with which he was clad and placed it under the feet of the 
Buddha to protect them from the mud and spread out his hair upon the 
ground. For this Jan teng said to him, “ In ninety-one Kalpas thou shalt 
become Buddha and shall be called Shy kia wen.” 

Finally the third Asankhya embraces the lives of seventy-seven thousand 
Buddhas from Jan teng Foe to Pi pho shi (Vipasyi), the first of the seven 
Buddhas generally named together, and to whom invocations are collectively 
addressed.*—C. L. 

(18) He spared not the marrow of his bones. —These different acts of 
Sakya Muni while yet a Bodhisattwa, have been detailed elsewhere. See 
particularly Chaps. IX. X. XI. 

Full particulars of many of these fabulous events, referred to Sakya’s 
anterior existences, may be found in M. Schmidt’s Weiser und Thor, as I 
have before intimated.—J. W. L. 

(19) 1497 years have elapsed.— There is too little agreement between the 
various dates given by Fa hian, as well as too little uniformity in his man¬ 
ner of computation to enable us to establish any well determined point of 
departure in his chronology. Nevertheless we may see that he here 
reckons after the Chinese Buddhic era most generally admitted (950 B. C.) 
which differs by nearly five centuries from that of the Singhalese (543 B. C.) 
and according to which the year of the nirvana would correspond with 410 
A. D., a date which is also very certainly that of the abode of our traveller 
in Ceylon. A great religious movement at that time agitated the country ; 
the struggle which ensued between Brahmanism and Buddhism, and which 
ended, somewhat later, in the overthrow of the latter cult in the lands of its 
birth, had not yet exercised its baneful influence in Ceylon. On the con¬ 
trary, this island presented to unhappy proselytes, a refuge from the intoler¬ 
ance of the Brahmans : and as happens in such cases, zeal redoubled with 
persecution. A learned priest from the continent of India, named Buddha- 
ghosa, after having to a great extent revived the religion of which he was a 
zealous partisan, had hardly left Ceylon to spread the doctrine beyond the 
Ganges in Ava, and among the Burmans, (Crawford, Embassy to Ava, 

* Thian ta'i sse kiao yi, cited in the San tsang fa sou, B. XII. p. 27. 


348 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN, 


p. 491; and Bournouf and Lassen Essai Sur le Pali, p. 62) when Fa hian 
arrived there under circumstance highly favourable for the objects of his 
voyage, as the account of the pompous ceremonies he witnessed testifies. 
“Since the origin of this kingdom, he observes, there has been no famine 
or scarcity, no calamity or troubleswhich shows that he was there 
before the pestilence which desolated this island under Upatissa at the 
beginning of the fifth century; and, especially, that he was there before 
the invasion of the Malabars, which occurred shortly afterwards. Thus it 
is in the interval between these events and the time when the tooth of Foe 
was imported from the Peninsula, that we must fix the arrival of Fa hian in 
Ceylon. We shall see further on that he returned to his own country in 
414; now as he dwelt two years in Ceylon and was seven months on his 
voyage to China, the year 412 must be the true date corresponding with 
1497 ; an era which coincides perfectly with the historical circumstances we 
have mentioned, and which places the death of Buddha in the year 1084 or 
1085 B. C. This is a new date to collate with those already gathered of 
this event, and may be compared with the other Singhalese dates discussed 
by M. M. Bournouf and Lassen in their researches on the sacred language 
of the Buddhists.—C. L. 

(20) Five hundred successive manifestations. —The Jataka , births or 
manifestations of Buddha, to which the Chinese sometimes, but improperly, 
apply the term incarnation (avatara) are apparently spoken of here. How¬ 
ever many of these births succeed each other, the being who is their subject* 
hath still no divine character; he is subject to avidya , that is, to all the 
imperfections attached to individual existence, to the errors, the affections,— 
in a word, to the illusions of every kind which constitute the sensible world’ 
and of which we have had frequent occasion to speak in the course of these 
notes. It is not till he has attained the point of absolute perfection essen¬ 
tial to Buddhahood, that he is commingled with infinite intelligence and is 
for ever freed from individuality, and consequently, according to M. Remu- 
sat’s expression, from the vicissitudes of the phenomenal world. 

Fa hian speaks of only five hundred manifestations ; but five hundred and 
fifty are generally spoken of as principal ones, and the doctrines of transmi¬ 
gration admit that Buddha passed through the entire scale of creation, 
that he passed through every state of existence in the sea, earth, and air, and 
underwent every condition of human life. “ When one body was destroyed, 
said Buddha himself, I received another ; and the number of my births and 
deaths can only be compared to that of all the trees and plants in the entire 
universe. It is impossible to reckon the bodies I have possessed.”* 

* Sieou king pen he'i king, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, B. LXXVII. p. 8. 


CHAPTER XXXVIII. 


349 


These five hundred and fifty Jataka are the subjects of pictures and em¬ 
blems piously preserved in temples for the veneration of the people on the 
occasion of grand ceremonials, such as Fa hian describes. To each of these 
manifestations belongs a legend or recital of the events of which Buddha was 
fhe subject under the different forms in which he figures, and which serves 
as a practical discourse upon the conduct to be observed in analogous condi¬ 
tions. Mr. Upham has published four of these legends, accompanied by 
figures, as also a Singhalese list of the five hundred and fifty Jatakas.—C. L. 

(20) That of Siu ta non. —This is the transcription of the Sanscrit 
Sutanu, * fair-bodied,’ which is found in the Singhalese list of the Jataka. — 
C. L. 

(21) Transformation into lightning. —There is nothing impossible in this 
transformation according to Buddhist notions, which admit of the gods and 
saints assuming every form of body, and even similating several at once. 
Buddha, say Chinese authors, by his supernatural power, assumed various 
forms appertaining to no created being with a material body. To save 
living creatures and overwhelm then with benign influences, he accommo¬ 
dates himself to their understandings, and manifests himself in all manner 
of bodies, as the light of the one moon reflects itself on many waters. He 
can become lightning, as well as a plant or tree ; but this manifestation is 
not included among the five hundred and fifty jatakas; at least the Singha¬ 
lese list of Upham contains nothing analogous. 

The Raja Ratnakari narrates that when the tooth of Buddha reached 
Ceylon, it appeared self-raised in the sky in the similitude of a planet ; and 
having taken its place in the firmament shone with six brilliant colours.* 
Might not the painted figure seen by Fa hian be a memorial of this prodi¬ 
gy, and that he mistook it for one of the manifestations of Buddha amongst 
which it was placed ? — C. L. 

(22) That of the king of elephants. —This jataka may be the one which 
figures in the Singhalese list under the name of Matanga, or perhaps that 
of Hatty pala.f —C. L. 

(23) That of the slag-horse. —This is no doubt the jataka named Roo - 
roomaga; that is the Gazelle called liuru. —C. L. 

(24) A chapel named Po thi.— Hiuan thsang makes no mention of this 
chapel, but he speaks of the mountain upon which it was situated, and 
which is in the south-east corner of the kingdom. He calls it Ling kia. Jou 
lai formerly inhabited it, and it was there that he expounded the Ling 
kla king.% —C. L. 


350 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN, 


CHAPTER XXXIX. 


Chapel of Mo ho pi ho lo.—Cremation of the body of a Samanean.—Destiny of 
Foe’s Pot. 

At seven U to the south of the town, there is a chapel called 
Mo ho pi ho lo,' where three thousand ecclesiastics reside. There 
was there a Samanean of exalted virtue, one who observed the 
precepts with exactitude, and lived in the greatest purity. The 
people of the country all believed that he was an Arhan. When 
his end was approaching, the king visited him, and in conformi¬ 
ty with the law, assembled the ecclesiastics and asked them if the 
mendicant had obtained the doctrine. They answered, that' in 
reality he was an Arhan. When he was dead, the king, having 
consulted the rituals and the sacred books, conducted his funeral 
as beseemed an Arhan. To the east of the chapel, at the dis¬ 
tance of four or five li, they piled up wood upon a space of about 
three chang, and to the same height; above it they placed sandal¬ 
wood, the essence of aloe-wood, and all sorts of odoriferous 
woods. On the four sides they made steps, and covered the 
whole with a beautiful tissue of very pure white wool. On 
this pile they raised a bed similar to a funeral car, but without 
loung iu. At the instant of the she wei, 8 the king and the four 
castes of the inhabitants of the country unitedly offered up 
flowers and perfumes. When the car was brought to the place 
of sepulture, the king himself offered flowers and perfumes. 
This oblation ended, they placed the car upon the pile which 
was sprinkled all over with storax, and applied fire. Whilst 
it burnt, every one had his heart filled with recollections ; every 
one, having taken off his upper garments, waved from afar a 
kind of parasol of feathers 3 to assist the she wei. When the 
she wei was finished, they sought for and collected together the 
bones, and erected a tower over them. Fa hian on his arrival 


CHAPTER XXXIX. 


35 i 


found not this Samanean alive; he was able only to assist at his 
funeral. 

The king firmly believes in the Law of Foe. Ashe was desirous 
of building a new chapel for the ecclesiastics, he began by giving 
these a grand entertainment. After they had eaten, he selected 
two fine field-oxen whose horns he ornamented with gold, and 
silver, and precious things. They made a beautiful plough 4 of 
gold, and the king himself ploughed the four sides of an arpent ; 5 
and when he had disseized himself of it, he gave them its inha¬ 
bitants, its families, its fields and its houses. He wrote the deed 
upon iron, importing that now and from generation to generation, 
this property should be transmitted without any one daring to 
alter or to change it. 

Whilst Fa hian was in these parts he heard the Clergy of 
Reason declare from a lofty throne where they read the Sacred 
Books, that the pot of Foe was at first at Phi she li* and that it has 
now been nearly some 1100 years, at Kian tho wei T (Fa hian when 
he heard this discourse knew precisely the number of years, but 
now he has forgotten it). It must return to the kingdom of the 
western Yue ti* At the end of eleven hundred years it will go to 
the kingdom of Yu thian ,* and will there remain eleven hundred 
years. Thence it will go to the kingdom of Khiu thse. 10 After 
eleven hundred years it must go anew to the Country of Han for 
eleven hundred years; then it will return to the Kingdom of 
Lions. After eleven hundred years it will return to Mid-India- 
From Mid-India it will rise to the heaven Teou shouf When 
Mi lephou sa 12 shall behold it, he will exclaim, sighing, “The pot 
of Shy Ida wen Foe hath come 1” Then, with all the gods, he 
will offer it flowers and perfumes for seven days. The seven 
days expired, the pot will return to Yan feou thi. The king of 
the sea-dragons will take it to his dragon-palace. When Mi le 
shall be on the eve of completing the law', the pot, divided into 
four (parts), will return to its original place on mount Phin na. 
Mi le having accomplished the law, the four kings of heaven shall 
meditate afresh on Foe, conformably to the law of antecedent 
2 h 3 


352 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HI AN. 


Foes. The thousand Foes of the Age of the Sages 18 shall all 
make use of this pot. When the pot shall be no more, the 
law of Foe will be insensibly extinguished. When the law of 
Foe is extinct, the age of man shall become again short, so that 
its duration shall be no more than from five to ten years. Rice 
and butter will disappear. Men, become extremely wicked, will arm 
themselves with clubs that shall become swords ; each will attack 
the other, and they shall fight and kill each other. There shall 
be amongst their number some so fortunate as to escape, and fly 
to the mountains. When the destruction of the wicked shall be 
complete, these men shall come forth and re-appear, saying to 
each* other, “ They of the olden time lived long ; but they com¬ 
mitted every kind of wickedness and transgressed the law ; and 
therefore hath our life been gradually abridged and reduced to ten 
years. Let us now do that which is right : let us raise our 
penitent hearts to charity, and cultivate deeds of humanity and 
justice. Each thus exhibiting faith and justice, the duration of 
our lives will increase and reach to four score thousand years.” 
When Mi le shall appear in the world, and shall begin to turn 
the wheel of the doctrine, he shall first convert the disciples 
adhering faithfully to the law of Shy kia, men out of their homes, 14 
those who shall have received the three Koue'i 15 and the five pre* 
cepts, 1 ® and those who shall have kept the law, and observed the 
worship of the three precious ones . Ihe second and the third 

converted in this order, are the proteges of Foe. Fa liian would 
that instant have copied the book which contained this, but the 
people said, “This is not written ; we know it by oral tradition.” 
NOTES. 

(1) Chapel of Mo ho pi ho lo. —This is the Sanscrit word Mahavihara, 
the great temple, or rather the great monastery—for according to the defini- 
nition given by Mr. Upham (Hist, and Doct. of Buddhism, p. 19) vihara 
does not properly mean a temple, but a habitation of monks with a chapel; 
called by the Chinese Seng kia lan. Fa hian has it all to himself here ; 
Hiuan thsang makes no mention of this building. 

(2) At the moment of the she wei. —She wei is a Fan word which it is 
impossible to restore with certainty, either because the transcription is 


CHAPTER XXXIX. 


353 


formed in a manner too irregular, or because it has long fallen into disuse.* 
The Sa7i tsangfa sou , (B. V. p. 3,) explains it by fen shao , to consume, to 
burn, the act of burning. It may be the transcription of the two first syllables 
of Shavadaha , the cremation of a body. The she wei is one of the four sepul¬ 
tures , that of fire. The others are that of water, that of earth, and that of 
forests.f—C. L. 

(3) Parasol of feathers. —In Ceylon the fan-like leaves of the Palmyra 
tree ( Borassus flab ellifor mis) are to this day used as parasols ; and it is 
perhaps to an imitation of these, formed of feathers, that our pilgrim here 

alludes.—J. W. L. 

(4) The ceremony here described by Fa hian is precisely that adopted by 
Dewananpiyatisso on founding the Mahawiharo. The details are given at 
length in the fifteenth Chapter of the Mahawanso, to which work I must 
refer the reader for many illustrations of Fa hian’s account of Ceylon, 
which want of space compels me to omit here.—J. W. L. 

(5.) An arpent. —A measuse of land containg 100 perches of 18 ft. each. 

(6) Pi she li. —Vaisali. (See Chapt. XXV. note 2.) 

(7) Kian tho wei. —This country, named also Kian tho aund Kan tho lo , 
is Gandhara (See Chap. X. note).—According to the Account of Western 
Countries, it is situated to the west of Udyana, and was namd at first Ye 
pho lo; but being subjected by the Ye tha (Getoe) it changed its name. 
Udyana and Kandahar are the countries of northern India which in the time 
of Fa hian preserved most of the important traditions of Buddhism ; but their 
neighborhood to each other, and the demarcation so difficult to establish 
among so many petty states always at war with each other and alternately 
conquering and conquered, occasion sometimes slight discrepancies if not in 
the site of the particular scenes of Foe’s actions, at least in the precise deter¬ 
mination of the kingdoms to which they belonged. It is thus that many 
memorable circumstances narrated by Fa hian and Hiuan thsang as having 
occurred in Udyana, may, according to other travellers, have taken place in 
Kandahar and vice versa, without any fair ground of accusing these narra¬ 
tives of contradiction to each other. 

At the commencement of the 6th century two Chinese Buddhist monks, 
Soung yun tse and Hoei seng , came to Gandhara, impelled by the same 
motives which actuated Fa hian a century earlier. The narrative they 
have given deserves on sundry accounts to be compared with that of the 
Foe Koue ki. At the time of their arrival the country had been at war 
with the Khi pin on the question of the boundaries of the two states. 

* Fa youan chou lin, quoted in the San tsang fa sou, B. XIX. p. 14 v. 

f Pian i tian, B. LX1II. art, 7, p» 8. 

2 h 3 



354 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


The king was a cruel tyrant, delighting in murder and blood, a disbeliever 
in the law of Foe, a worshipper of genii, and dependent entirely on his own 
strength and courage. He had seven hundred war elephants, each mounting 
ten men armed with swords and lances, and to the trunk of each elephant 
was affixed a sabre to smite the enemy. The king constantly dwelt on the 
frontiers in the midst of the mountains, so that the people suffered greatly, 
and their families murmured. Soung yun joined the camp to deliver the 
imperial letter. The king received it seated. * * * Soung yun said to 
him, “ Of mountains, some are high and others low ; among rivers some 
are great and others small; and so in the world there are exalted men and 
there are humble ones. The Ye tha and the king of Ou chang both received 
the imperial missive with respect; how hath the great king alone received it 
otherwise ?” The king replied, “ Were I to see in person the great king of 
the Wei, I would salute him ; but what is there surprising in that I should 
peruse his letters seated ? When men receive a letter from father or mother, 
they read it seated ; the Lord of the Wei is father and mother to me ; and I 
read his letter also seated. In this, what is there contrary to propriety ?” 
Yun could not move him from this * * * 

After journeying five days to the west, the travellers reached the place 
where Jou lai made an alms-gift of his head; in that place there was a tower 
inhabited by twenty monks. According to Fa hian this took place in the 
kingdom of Chu sha si lo (Chap. XI.), situated seven days’ journey to the 
east of Kian tho wei, which doubtless no longer existed as an independent 
kingdom in the time of Soung yun’s journey. Three days further journey 
to the west is the river Sou theou , on the western bank of which is the place 
where Jou lai, having assumed the form of the fish, Ma kie'i (Makara?) 
came out of the river and during twelve years fed men on his flesh. A 
tower was erected in memory of this event, and the impression of the scales 
of a fish are still to be seen upon a rock. 

Further west, three day’s journey, you come to the town of Foe sha fou . 
There are both within and without this town, ancient temples for which 
devotees have peculiar veneration. One li north of the town is the palace 
of the white elephant. It is a temple dedicated to Foe. It is adorned 
with statues of stone covered with precious ornaments : these have many 
heads to each body and are covered with leaves of gold which dazzle the 
eyes. In front of the temple is the tree of the white elephant. Its flowers 
and leaves resemble those of the jujube tree; it bears fruit at the close of 
winter. Old men repeat from tradition, that when this tree shall die, the 
law of Foe will die also. * * * 

At one day’s journey further west is the spot where Jou lai tore out an 


CHAPTER XXXIX. 


355 


eye to present it to a man. (See Chap. X.) A tower and a temple have 
been there erected. On a stone is the impress of the foot of Kia she Foe. 

Continuing farther west Soung yun arrives at the town of Kan tho lo; 
seven li to the south-east of which is the feou ton, built by king Kia ni sse 
kia, and which must be the same edifice which Fa hian places in Belu- 
chistan. ( Foe leou sha , that is, Purushapura , Peshawur. —J. W. L.) 
(Chap. XII.) The legend regarding the king Kia ni sse kia is related 
in pretty nearly the same terms by these two travellers and Hiuan thsang,* 
who concurs with Soung yun in stating that this temple is in Kandahar, 
Both dwell upon its magnificence. “ Amongst the Feou thou of western 
countries/' says Soung yun, “ this is the first. When they began to 
build it, they used pearls to form the trellis work destined to cover it. But 
some years after, the king, observing that this tissue of. pearls being worth 
more than ten thousand pieces of gold, feared that after his death it might 
be abstracted, and that if the great tower should fall, no one would seek to 
restore it, took down the pearl tissue lattice, and placed it in a copper vase, 
which he caused to be buried one hundred paces north-west of the tower ; 
and over it he planted a tree. This tree is named Pho thi; its branches 
spread out on all sides and its foliage shuts out the sight of the sky. Be¬ 
neath it are four seated statues, each five toises high." 

Proceeding seven days' journey further north, and passing a great river, 
you arrive at the place where Jou lai released the pigeon. According to 
Fa hian it was in the country called So ho to that the Bodhisattwa accom¬ 
plished this act of charity. (Chap. IX.) Soung yun knew not this name, 
which had probably disappeared with the little state to which it belonged. 

On leaving this point, the travellers neglect to note the distances as well 
as the direction of their march. They arrive successively in the kingdom of 
Na kia lo ho, which is identical with Na kie, placed by Fa hian sixteen 
yojanas west of Foe leou sha. (Chap. XII.) In that place was the skull-bone 
of Foe. It was four inches in circumference, and of a yellowish-white; 
below was a cavity which might receive a man’s thumb, resembling a bee’s 
hive. In the town is the temple Khi ho lan, where there are thirteen frag¬ 
ments of the Kia sha (mantle) of Foe. It is probably the chapel of the 
"Seng kia li mentioned in the Foe koue ki. There is also the brass staff of 
Foe, seven chang in length (about 21 metres) it is washed with tubes filled 
with water. It is entirely covered with leaves of gold. The weight of this 
staff varies ; there are times when it is so heavy that a hundred men cannot 
raise it; again, at other times, it is so light that a single man may carry it 
away. In the same town are also the tooth and the hair of Foe ; these 
* Pian i tian, B. LXIII. art. 7, p. 1. 


356 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA III AN. 


relics are preciously enshrined, and morning and evening offerings are pre¬ 
sented to them. 

At Kiu lo lo lou, fifteen paces in the mountain, is the cave of the shadow 

of Foe. When seen far off the shadow is distinctly perceived ; but on a nearer 

approach, it is seen just as if the eyes were dizzied ; if you stretch out 

the hand nothing more is felt than the stone wall. On retiring again, 

gradually the figure re-appears. It is one of the most singular things in the 

world. In front of the stone there is a square stone on which is a print of 

the foot of Foe. At a hundred paces south-west of the cave is the spot 

where Foe washed his clothes; and one li north-east is the cave of Mou 

Han. To the north of this cave is a mountain at the foot of which is a great 
% 

temple with a Feou thou ten toises high. There are still seven other towers, 
to the south of which there is a stone with an inscription said to be made by 
the hand of Jou la'i himself; and which is still very well understood.* 

On comparing the above with the narrative of Fa hian, it will be seen 
that they do not differ from each other in any essential point, and that the 
former contains some particulars of which the other traveller seems to have 
been ignorant, or to have neglected to record. Of these is the curious 
tradition ascribing to Sakya Tathagatha the inscription here mentioned. 
As to what refers to the pot of Foe, Hiuan thsang relates that after the 
nirvana it was in Kian tho wei, where it was worshipped for several cen¬ 
turies; but that it subsequently passed into various kingdoms, and was at 
that time in Persia. ||—C. L. 

(8) The western Yue ti. —These are the great Yue ti, who, driven to the 
westward, first by the northern Hioung, and then by the Ousun, quitted 
the Tangut where they led a wandering life, and becoming masters of Tran- 
soxania, founded there an empire, long powerful, and extended their con¬ 
quests to Cabul, Kandahar, and the countries situated on both banks of 
the Indus. See note 9 to Chap. XII.—-C. L. 

(9) The kingdom of Yu thian. —Khotan. See Chap. III. 

(10) The kingdom of Khiu thse. —M. Remusat thought that this country 
might be that of Beshbalik ; may not rather Koutche , which was moreover 
a part of Beshbalik, be more particularly indicated here ?—C. L. 

(11) The Heaven Teou shou—Tushita in Sanscrit. It is the fourth of 
the six heavens situated one above another and constituting the world of 
desires. It is there that beings arrived at the state immediately preceding 
that of absolute perfection, that is to say, that of Bodhisattwa, await the 
moment of their return to the earth in the character of Buddhas.—C. L. 

(12) Mi le Phou sa. —Ma'itreya Buddha. See note 8, Chap. YI. 

* Pian i tian, B. LXIII. art. 7, p. 7. v. 


CHAPTER XL. 


3 57 

(13) The age of ages ,—in Sanscrit Bhmlra kalpa. It is the present age 
in which we live, and one of those periods assigned for the formation, eon* 
tinnance, and destruction of the world. It is to last 230 millions of years, 
of which 151,200,000 have already elapsed, and during which one thou¬ 
sand Buddhas must successively appear for the salvation all creatures. There 
have already appeared but four of these, and the life of man is on the 
decrease, seeing that from 8-1,000 years it is reduced to 100. Calami ties 
of different kinds successively overtake all parts of the universe. When 
the age of man shall have decreased to 30 years, the rain of heaven shall 
cease ; the drought which shall succeed will prevent the reproduction of 
plants and vegetables ; there will be no more water and an immense number 
of men will die. When the life of man is further reduced to twenty years, 
epidemics and all kinds of sickness shall arise, and carry off an infinity of 
victims. Finally when the average of life shall bo but 10 years, man shall 
be given up to strife and war. Trees and plants even shall become weapon* 
in their hands, and be the means of mutual destruction, so that immense 
numbers shall perish thus. Then, according to the tradition preserved by 
Fu hian, Mi le (Mai'treya) shall appear in the character of Buddha to re¬ 
generate the world ; and the life of man shall be extended once more to 
80,000 years.—C. L. 

(14) Men out of their homes .—This expression, as we have often seen, 
implies men who have adopted religious life and who live in solitude. 

(15) The three Koue'i . See Chap. XXXVI. note 7. 

(1G) The five precepts. See Chap. XVI. note 12. 


CHAPTER XL. 


Departure from the Kingdom of Lions.-Kingdom of Ye pho li.-Lao mountain 
-Town of Thsing cheeu.-Return to Chlmng an.-Conclusion. 

Fu liian sojourned two years in this kingdom. He there sought 
for and obtained the volume which contains the precepts of Mi s/ta 
se. lie obtained the long A han and tho miscellaneous A han ; 
at length he had a collection of tho different Tsang nil of them 
books which were wanting in the land of Han. VVhon in pos¬ 
session of these volumes in the fan language, he placed them 
aboard a large trading vessel capable of accommodating more 


358 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


than two hundred men. Astern was fastened a small vessel to 
provide against the dangers of a sea voyage, and injury to the 
larger one. With a favorable wind they proceeded easterly for 
two days, when they were overtaken by a hurricane. The ship 
took in water, and the merchants were anxious to board the 
small vessel; but the crew of the latter, fearful of overloading her, 
cut the cable. The merchants were extremely alarmed for their 
lives, and, expecting every moment that the vessel would go to 
the bottom, they took the heaviest objects and cast them into 
the sea. Fa hian worked with the crew in pumping out the 
water; all that was superfluous of his own he, too, threw into 
the sea But he dreaded lest the merchants would cast over 
board his books and his images! His sole resource was then to 
pray Kouan shi in* to allow all the ecclesiastics to return alive to 
the land of Han. “ As for me, said he, I undertook this distant 
journey to seek for the Law; I trust to the gods to protect this 
ship and enable me to reach the haven.” 

The hurricane having lasted thirteen days and thirteen nights, 
they came to the shore of an island ; and when the tide had ebbed, 
having discovered the place of the leak, they stopped it up, and 
again put to sea. There are many pirates there, from whom 
when taken there is no escape. The sea was vast, immense, shore¬ 
less ; neither the east nor the west were known ; the course was re¬ 
gulated by the sun, the moon, and the stars . 3 When the weather 
was cloudy or rainy, there was no help but follow the wind. During 
the night when the weather was dark, they saw nothing but huge 
waves dashing against each other, fire-coloured lightnings, tortoises, 
crocodiles, sea-monsters, and other prodigies. The merchants 
were much troubled, as they knew not whither they were drifting. 
The sea was bottomless, and there was not even a rock at which 
they could stop. When the sky had become serene, they then 
knew to steer easterly, and they proceeded afresh on their route; 
but had they come upon any hidden rock there was no means of 
saving their lives. Thus was it with them for ninety days, when 
they arrived in the kingdom of Ye pho thi . 4 Heretics and Brah- 


CHAPTER XL. 359 

mans are numerous there, and there the law of Foe is in no wise 
entertained. 

After a sojourn of six months in this kingdom, Fa hian pro¬ 
ceeded anew with certain merchants in a large vessel capable of 
holding two hundred men. They took with them provisions for 
fifty days. They set sail on the sixteenth day of the fourth 
moon. Fa hian was very happy aboard this vessel. They 
proceeded north-east towards Kouang cheou . 5 At the end of 
about a month they encountered a frightful wind, and violent 
rain. The merchants and the passengers were equally alarmed. 
Fa hian at this juncture prayed with all his heart to Kouan ski in, 
as did all the ecclesiastics of the land of Han, beseeching the gods 
to succour them and to calm the heavens. When calm was restor¬ 
ed, the Brahmans took counsel among themselves, and said, “ It 
is the presence of this Samanean on board that has drawn down 
upon us this calamity; we must land this mendicant upon the 
shore of some island of the sea. It must not be that for one 
man we be all exposed to such danger.” The chief benefactor* 
of Fa hian said, “If you set ashore this Samanean, I will de¬ 
nounce you to the king on our arrival in the land of Han. The 
king of the land of Han is himself an adherent of the law of 
Foe ; he reveres mendicants and ecclesiastics.” The merchants 
hesitating, dared not to set him ashore. Still the sky was very 
threatening ; the pilots mutually looked at each other, and were 
greatly embarrassed. They had now been seventy days on 
the passage. Provisions and water were exhausted ; they used 
salt water for cooking and they divided the fresh water; each 
person had two shing . T As it was drawing towards its end, the 
merchants took counsel together and said, “ The time (calculat¬ 
ed) for this long passage may be fifty days to reach Kouang 
ckeou; now many days have elapsed since that term was pass¬ 
ed ; our resources are expended; it were better for us to steer 
to the north-west in quest of land.” 

In twelve days and nights they arrived at the south of the 
mountain Lao 9 situated on the confines of Chhang kouang kian , 


360 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN: 


and found there fresh water and vegetables. After so peril¬ 
ous a navigation, after so many fatigues and apprehensions for 
so many days, when they went ashore and beheld the plant 
Li ho thsai , they verily believed they were in the land of Han ! 
Still they saw neither 4 inhabitants nor traces of man, and they 
knew not in what place they were. Some said that they were 
not yet at Kouang cheou ; others that they had passed it; none 
knew what to determine upon. They went into a little boat to 
enter the mouth of the river, in order to find some one of whom 
to enquire of the place at which they had arrived. They found 
two hunters returning home, and directed Fa hian to act as inter¬ 
preter and interrogate them. Fa hian began by encouraging 
them ; he then asked, “ What people are you?” They answered, 
“ We are adherents of Foe.” He asked again, “ What went 
ye in quest of in the hills V* They answered us deceitfully, 
“To-morrow is the 15th day of the seventh moon ; we sought 
for something to offer in sacrifice to Foe.” He asked again 
“What kingdom is this?” They answered “ It is Thsing cheou ,'° 
on the confines of Chhang kouan hum which belongs to the 
family of the Lieou.” The merchants having heard this were 
greatly rejoiced ; they demanded their merchandise immediately, 
and sent some one to Chhang kouang. Li yng, who was governor 
there, and believed in and honored the law of Foe, learning that 
there were Samaneans aboard with books and images, entered a 
boat and came out to the sea ; he then sent people beforehand, to 
the shore, and having received the books and the images, returned 
to the town. The merchants set out for Yang cheou. ki The 
people of Thsing cheou , who are under the dominion of the 
Lieou , invited Fa hian to remain a winter and a summer. At 
the end of the summer’s rest, 12 Fa hian left his masters. He 
longed ardently to see Chhang ’an again ; but that which he had 
at heart being a weighty matter, he halted in the south, where 
the masters published the Sacred Books and the Precepts. 

Fa hian, after leaving Chhang *an, is was six years in reaching 
the Kingdom of the Middle : he sojourned there six years ; and took 


CHAPTER XL. 


361 


another three in returning to Thsing cheou. The kingdoms 
which he traversed amount to the number of at least thirty. 
After passing the River of Sand in the west, he arrived in India. 
The decency, the gravity, the piety of the clergy are admirable ; 
they cannot be described. The present is a mere summary : not 
having been hitherto heard by the masters, he casts not his eyes 
retrospectively on details. He crossed the sea, and hath returned 
after having overcome every manner of fatigue, and has enjoyed 
the happiness of receiving many high and noble favors. He has 
been in dangers and has escaped them; and now therefore he 
puts upon the bambu ' 5 what has happened to him, anxious to 
communicate to the wise what he hath seen and heard. 

This year Kya yn, the twelfth of the years I yi' a of the Tsin, 
being the year of the star of longevity, at the end of the sum¬ 
mer rest they went out to meet Fa hian the traveller.” On his 
arrival, they detained him to pass the festivals of the winter. 
They discoursed with him; they interrogated him on his travels. 
His good faith lent confidence to his recitals ; so that what was 
known but imperfectly before, was now better explained. He 
hath set in order the beginning and the end. He himself said, 
“ In recapitulating what I have experienced, my heart is involun¬ 
tarily moved. The sweat that hath flowed in my perils, is not 
the cause of present emotion. This body hath been preserved 
by the sentiments which animated me. It was the end that in¬ 
duced me to hazard my life in countries where there is no cer¬ 
tainty of its preservation, and to attain that at every risk was the 
object of my hopes.” 

They were touched with these words; they were touched to be¬ 
hold such a man : they observed among themselves, that a very 
few had indeed expatriated themselves for the sake of the Doctrine; 
but no one had ever forgotten self in quest of the law as Fa hian 
had done. One must know the conviction which truth produces, 
otherwise one cannot partake of the zeal which produces earnest¬ 
ness. Without merit and without activity nothing is achieved. 
On accomplishing aught with merit and activity, how shall one be 
2 i 


362 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


abandoned to oblivion ? To lose wliat is esteemed—to esteem 
what mankind forget,—oh ! 


NOTES. 

(1) A collection of the different Tsang.—For explanations of the pre¬ 
cepts of Mi cha se, the four A han (Agama) and various other works com¬ 
prised under the title Tsang (collection), see Chap. XXXVI. notes 10 and 
12 . 

(2) Kouan shi in. —Avalokiteswara, a well-known personage in Buddhic 
mythology. (See Chap. XVI. note 30.) Fa hian, in his distress, invokes him 
as the god whose power is exercised over animated creatures, who, according 
to the theological system developed by Mr. Hodgson, owe to him their 
origin, as the creation of the different mansions composing the material 
world is considered the work of Manjusri. Buddhists have consecrated to 
Kouan shi in one of the ten consecutive days into which each month is 
divided, namely the 24th. On this day the four kings of the gods descend 
among mortals to weigh their good and evil actions. By pronouncing the 
name Kouan shi in PJiou sa, all sorrows are extinguished and all virtue 
nourished and enlarged.*—C. L. 

(3) Their course was regulated by the sun, moon, and stars. —This im¬ 
portant passage would lead us to infer that the mariner’s compass was 
unknown, even in China, at the time of Fa hian, who otherwise would 
scarcely have omitted some reference to that instrument in speaking of his 
perilous situation in this hurricane. Chinese writers refer this invention, 
some to the fabulous ages of their history, others to the reign of Ching 
Wang of the Chow dynasty, that is 1121—1114 B. C. It is remarkable, 
however, that Marco Polo makes no mention of the compass, the Jise of 
which was wholly unknown in Europe at the time of his travels.—J. W. L. 

(4) A kingdom named Ye pho ti, — Yava dwipa. —This is the first mention 
of the Island of Java found in Chinese authors ; but it was not till some 
years after the return of Fa hian that they possessed details of its geogra¬ 
phical position, of the productions of its soil and the manners of its inhabi¬ 
tants. An embassy which the king of this country despatched to the em¬ 
peror of China in the twelfth year yuen kia (436) under the dynasty of the 
Soung, originated that intercourse which, occasional at first and interrupted 
by long intervals, increased towards the middle of the 10th century in con¬ 
sequence of establishments formed there by the Chinese. Those who were 
settled there were called Tang, from the name of the dynasty under which 

* Fa youen chou lin , quoted in the San tsang fa sou, B. XLII. p. 3. 


CHAPTER XL. 


363 


this colonisation was effected. It was about this time that they adapted the 
form Che pho to represent the name Java ; a transcription which prevailed 
for a long time. Under the dominion of the Mongols, several military 
expeditions were sent against the Javanese, whose country then received the 
name of Koua wa (‘ sound of gourd’) which was given in consequence of the 
resemblance observed between the voice of the inhabitants and that of a 
gourd when struck. Lastly, modern annalists and geographers have appli¬ 
ed to Java the names peculiar to other islands and districts situated in its 
neighbourhood, or dependent upon it. Such is that of Pou kia loung which 
belongs to an isle (Borneo ?) said to be eight days sail from Che pho ; and 
Kino lieon pa , which is perhaps the province of Sheri bon in the isle of 
Java itself. The San tsai ton hoe'i , quoted in the Japanese Encyclopedia, 
says: “ Pou kia loung , Ta che pho, and Koua wa are three distinct king¬ 
doms ; formerly they constituted but one.* 

The number and variety of ancient monuments found in Java have led to 
the belief that this island was colonised by different people of the con¬ 
tinent of Asia; but the religion, institutions, and literature of Hindustan 
do not appear to have been generally diffused in this island till towards the 
middle of the 9th Century, and it is only from this era that any dependance 
can be placed in the traditions of the Japanese. All that precedes it is con¬ 
fused, obscure, contradictory, and interpolated with the fabulous and heroic 
history of continental India. The sectaries of Buddha, repelled by the 
Brahmans to the extremities of Asia and to the adjacent isles, took refuge 
in Java as they did in Ceylon, Ava, and Siam ; but it is probable that if 
Buddhism was not generally diffused there till about this period, it was at 
all events introduced earlier. It is seen from Fa hian’s account that at the 
beginning of the 5th century that religion numbered there neither many 
proselytes, nor important monuments; Brahmanism predominated there. 
According to a description of Java written in Chinese and which forms part of 
the precious library left by M. Klaproth, we must assign to the introduction 
of Buddhism in this island a date much older than is usually supposed. It 
was in the reign of the emperor Koung wou ti of the Han (from 24 to 57 
A. D.j that the natives of Ou In tou (India) crossed the sea and went to 
Java. Having beheld the precious things produced on this island, they 
arranged with the inhabitants a traffic of exchange, and introduced among 
them the art of building houses, that of writing, and the Law of Buddha.f 
In truth however, the book from which we extract these particulars, printed 
at Batavia and compiled almost entirely from European sources, is not to 


* Encyc. Japan. B. XIV. pp. 10 12. 
f Kiao lieon patsoung lun , p. 58 v. 

2 i 2 


364 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


betaken as an independent authority. But the quotation of the name of 
an Emperor of China, seems to give some weight to this passage as indicating 
that the opinion there advanced had been taken from Chinese annals. How¬ 
ever improbable this date may appear, and however contradictory to the nar¬ 
rative of Fahian and unconfirmed by other Chinese works, I have deemed 
it right to insert it here in order to attract the attention of such as are desir¬ 
ous of testing its authenticity by comparison with the traditions preserved 
by Raffles and Crawford. 

In the same work the name of Java is transcribed Chao ya, and the 
author states that this name was given to the country by reason of the 
quantity of millet ( panicum italicum) which it produces. (The Isle 
of Barley of Ptolemy.) He adds that the Tang named this kingdom Kiao 
lieoupa, without knowing the origin of this name which is peculiar to 
a particular locality, while Chao ya is the general name of the whole 
Island.—C. L. 

(5) Towards Kouang cheou. —This is the town named Canton by Euro¬ 
peans, the capital of the province of Kouang toung. —C. L. 

(6) The principal benefactor: —in Chinese tan youei. I concur with 
M. Remusat, in the meaning of this word borrowed from the Fan language, 
as given in an early part of this work. (See Chap. I. note 12.)—C. L. 

(7) Two shing. —The shing is the twentieth part of the shi or Chinese 
bushel, and its capacity is calculated to contain a hundred and twenty thou¬ 
sand grains of millet.—C. L. 

(8) Lao. —A mountain in the district of Lai cheou fort, in Shan toung, 
on the borders of the sea. It is said to be twenty li in height and to have 
a circumference of eighty li. It extends throughout the Peninsula, to the 
north of which is situated the present town of Tsy me hian, and is sixty li 
south-east of this town. It is distinguished into the great and the small 
Lao shan. These two mountains formerly formed but one. The river 
Pe sha has its rise there.—C. L. 

(9) Chang kouang kiun. —The present town of Ping ten cheou, in the 
department of Lai cheou fort of the Shan toung, bore under the first dynas- 
ty of the Soung the name of Shang kouang kiun, whieh was changed by 
the Wei into that of Shang kouang hian, and ceased entirely to be used 
under the Sou'i.*—C. L. 

(10) Thsing cheou. —This is the present town of Thsing cheou fou in the 
Shan toung. —C. L. 

(11) Yang cheou. —At the period when Fa hian wrote, the Yang cheou 
comprised all Kiang nan, a part of Honan and the northern angle of 
Kiang si. At present Yang cheou is no more than a department of the 

* Ta tsing y toung chi, B. CVII. p. 7 v. f Ibid. p. 2, 


CHAPTER XL. 


365 


province of Kiang sou , which again is but a dismemberment of the eastern 
part of the ancient Kiang nan. The present Yang cheou is two hundred li 
north-ehst of Kiang ningfou (Nankin) on the great canal. Its position con¬ 
stitutes it one of the most commercial towns in China, and the greater part 
of its immense population consists of traders.f—C. L. 

(12) At the end of the summer rest .—For, * this sojourn being ended.’ 
This mode of speech which frequently recurs in Fa hian has been explained 
elsewhere. (Chap. I. note 8.)—C. L. 

I think it very probable that the summer rest here spoken of, is the 
Wasso, or period of sacred repose of the Buddhists, during which priests 
were permitted and even enjoined to abstain from pilgrimages and to devote 
themselves to stationary religious observances. It began with the full moon 
of July, and ended with that of November, thus including the whole of the 
rainy season. Fa hian mentions this rest elsewhere, and no doubt felt it 
incumbent upon him to halt at the time enjoined by his religion. In addi¬ 
tion to what I have observed upon the subject of the festival of Jaganath 
(pages 21 and 261), I may here mention that the Rev. Dr. Stevenson has 
suggested,* that the Rath Jatra may possibly be the remains of a triumphant 
entry with which the sages were welcomed on returning from their peregrina¬ 
tions to hold the Wasso.—J. W. L. 

(13) Chhang an: Otherwise Si’anfou in Chen si, the native country of 
Fa hian.—C. L. 

(14) He halted in the south— That is to say at Nanking, where he pub¬ 
lished the religious books he had brought with him. This was the im¬ 
portant duty that Fa hian had imposed upon himself before returning to his 
native country.—C. L. 

(15) He hath put upon the bambu.— More exactly bambu taffetas 
(chou py). This expression designates the substance, or part of the bambu 
upon which men wrote before the invention of paper, whether this was done 
by engraving the characters with a style, or by tracing them with some 
kind of varnish ; but it here refers to paper the invention of which dates 
several centuries before Fa hian.—C. L. 

(16‘) The twelfth of the years Iyi.— That is, 414 A. D., the eighteenth 
year of the reign of ’An ty. The star of longevity (Sheou sing ) is one of 
the twelve divisions of the Chinese zodiac as it was figured in the times of 
the Han. It corresponds with the Balance , and thus indicates that the 
year had already reached the autumnal equinox. —C. L. 

(17) Fa hian the traveller.— This is the same expression tao jin , already 
used in Chapter IV. which M. Remusat, had translated priest and which 

* Journ. Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. VII. p. 8. 


PILGRIMAGE OF FA HIAN. 


36 G 


M. Klaproth, regarded as synonymous with Tao sse, or the doctors of 
reason. It appears to me that from the manner of using it in this place 
there can be no doubt as to its true meaning. The figurative sense of the 
word tao, for reason, doctrine , ought to be here set aside, although conse¬ 
crated by ordinary usage, and its primitive and natural meaning, a road , 
preferred : Tao jin , a man of the road, a traveller.—C. L. 

On showing the original characters to an intelligent Chinese, he at once 
interpreted them “ priest,’' and denied that they bear the meaning assigned 
to them by M. Landresse.—J. W. L. 



INDEX 


A che shi, 264, 272. 

A gama, 108, 129, 328. 

Age of men, 127. 

Ajata satrn, 217, 252, 272. 

Ahan, 328, 357. 

Ambapali, 244. 

Amra skyong ma, 244. 

Ammanat, river, 220. 

Amitabha, 21. 

A nan, 69, 76, 201. 

Abhayagiri, 328, 342. 
Abhidharma, 3. 

Ananda, 76. 

A nan tho, 38. 

An chha, 148. 

Andhra, 

A neou tha, 38. 

Anga, 216. 

An mou lo, 244. 

An pho lo, 240, 244, 272. 

An szu, 82. 

A pi than, 107. 

A po lo lo, 54. 

Arhan, 33, 350. 

Asankhya, 70, 335. 

A seng ki, 335, 346. 

A shou kia, 217. 

A shy pho shi, 271. 

Asoka, 28, 65, 66, 216. 

Asura, 133. 

Asvapati, 81. 

Aswajet, 271,314. 
Avalokatiswara, 115. 

A yu, 296, 298. 

Ayodhya, 169. 

A yu tho, 192. 

Azes, 217. 

Benares, 310. 

Berna, 310. 

Bettiah, 240. 

Bhadrakalpa, 247, 357. 

Bhagirathi, 205. 

Bhikshu, 58. 

Bhikshuni, 58, 110. 

Bhuvana, 34. 

Bishbalik, 356. 

Bimbasara, 217. 

Bindhasara, 217. 

Bodhi, 11. 

Bodhisattwa, 10. 

Bolor, 15, 58. 

Boundary of fire, 122. 

Brahma, 34, 70, 131. 

Brahmans, 177. 

Brahmanism, 103, 105. 
Brahmaparipatya, 131. 

Bukker, 98. 

Brahmachari, 68. 

Buddha, 8. 

Buddhas, 160. 

Buddhagaya, 282. 

Buddhism, 33, 42, 102, 106. 

Capissa, 89. 

Castes, 178. 

Ceylon, 330, 336. 

Cesi, 31, 

Chakkawatti, 130. 

Chakra, 130. 

Chakravarti, 29, 126. 

Champa, 330. 

Chandala, 104. 

Ciiandragupta, 217. 

Chang y, 1, 5. 

Chang houang, 176. 

Baibhar, 278. 

Bahar, 265, 309. 

Bakra, 240, 

Balkh, 82. 

Banura, 309. 

Beluchis, 75, 76. 

Chang khian, 36, 38. 

Charcoal, tower of, 221, 222, 224, 
Chen chha lo, 99, 104. 

Chen po, 329. 

Chhang an, 1, 2, 360. 

Chhi houan, 166, 171, 321, 324. 


368 INDEX. 


Chin chha, 176. 

Chi to, 171. 

Cophen, 23. 

Cock’s foot, 304, 305. 

Chu kiu pho, 24. 

Chu sha shi lo, 72, 73, 354. 

Dahse, 39. 

Dahder, 274. 

Dakshina, 319. 

Dalada wahanse, 344. 

Damgamo, 295. 

Dana, 5, 28, 70. 

Darada, 31. 

Dasaratha, 217. 

Deer park, 308, 310. 

Deva, 133. 

Deva Bodhisattwa, 154. 

Deva dattu, 201, 278. 

Dharaathat, 105. 

Dharma, 304. 

Dharmakaya, 182. 

Dharmasoka, 324. 

Dharani, 108, 181, 185. 
Dharraavardhana, 65. 

Dhotodana, 177. 

Dhoudh, 248. 

Dhyana, 268. 

Dhyana Buddha, 116. 

Dipankara, 67. 

Dirghagama, 328. 

Doctrine, revision of, 3, 242, 276. 
Doubts, the five, 153. 

Douldouri, 92, 

Dulva, 3. 

Dragons, 50, 121, 155. 

Earthquakes, 206. 

Elements, the five, 

Erranoboas, 224. 

Esroun tigri, 132. 

Fa, 303. 

Faculties (supernatural), 125. 

Fa hian, 1, 2, passim. 

Fa i, 64, 65. 

Falgo, River, 282. 

Fan, 14, 120, 130, 329, 357. 

Fan hing (Bramanic), 13. 

Fan lan ma, 130, 134. 

Fan chi, 68. 

Fan chu, 207. 

Farghana, 39. 

Fei she, 177, 178. 

Fei she li, 242. 

Fen, the four, 328. 


Feou thou (Buddha), 20, 50. 
Foe, passim. 

Foe lou sha, 74, 75. 

Foe sha fou, 354. 

Foe yu thai, 79. 

Formulae, 181. 

Fo tha tha, 55. 

Fo thsou, 38. 

Fou lan ma, 144, 153. 

Fou dana, 134. 

Fruits, the five, 158. 

Fung te, 169. 

Gajapati, 81. 

Gandaki, 224. 

Gandhara, 64. 

Gandharva, 133. 

Ganga Sagar, 193. 

Ganges, 28, 160. 

Garuda, 133. 

Gatchou, 249. 

Gatha, 12, 325. 

Gautama, 313. 

Gaya, 282. 

Gaya Kasyapa, 295. 

Getse, 76. 

Giddore, 260. 

Gods, 133, 143. 

Godhanya, 80. 

Gomal, 23. 

Gomati, 20. 

Gurupada, 305. 

Grantha, 106. 

Gridhrakuta, 266.- 
Gunduk, 224. 

Han, 7, 8. 

Han tha, 82. 

Hatty pala, 349. 

Hell, 296, 299. 

Heng, 241, 247. 

Heng kia, 38, 160, 162. 
Heresiarchs, 143. 

Hian theou, 13. 

Hilian, 221, 224. 

Hi lo, 55, 83, 88, 89. 
Himalaya, 22, 32, 96. 

Hiranya, 224. 

Hirannawatiya, 225, 230. 
Hiranyabahu, 22. 

Hoshang, 166, 173. 

Holi, 161. 

Honorable of the age, 111, 120, 
Hou fau, 176. 

Ikswaku, 203. 


INDEX 


369 


Images, procession of, 17, 21, 255. 
India, 13, 79. 

India, Central, 44, 58. 

India of the North, 45. 

Indra, 6'2. 

Indrasilaguha, 265. 

In tho lo, 

I she na, 151. 

Issapatana, 316. 

Iswara, 148. 

Itihasa, 12. 

Jabuna, 102. 

Jaganath, 21, 261. 

Jaitana wanaramaya, 22. 
Jalandhara, 249. 

Jaloka, 66. 

Jataka, 348. 

Jiling girali, 295. 

Kabura, 89. 

Kahgyour, 3. 

Kailas, 192. 

Kalandaka, 277. 

Kalasoka, 323. 

Kalpa, 67. 

Ka na hia mou ni, 185. 

Kan cbeou, 5. 

Kandahar, 47, 64. 

Kanaka muni, 185. 

Kanashinipala, 295. 

Kanika, 249. 

Kanouj, 161. 

Kantakanam, 219. 

Kan tho lo, 64. 

Kanyakubja, 161. 

Kan yug, 36, 38. 

Kao chhang, 8, 16. 

Kapila, 191. 

Kapilapur, 192. 

Kapilavastu, 191. 

Kapilavatthu, 191. 

Karkuchanda, 155. 

Kash, 31. 

Kasi, 311. 

Kasyapa, 180. 

Kausambi, 317. 

Keou leouthsin foe, 183, 184. 

. Keou nahan mou ni, 183, 185. 
Keou than mi, 308, 316. 

Khameh, 

Khasas, 31. 

Khasakas, 31. 

Khiang, 39. 

Khian koue, 1, 4. 

Khian to wei, 64. 


Khi che khiu, 253, 257, 273, 279. 
Khin, 264. 

Khing kia, 257. 

Kho lo che ky li hi, 270, 
Khormusda, 63. 

Khotan, 19. 

Khoutoukhtou (incarnation), 268. 
Kia lan, 19. 

Kia lan tho, 276, 277. 

Kia ni sse kia, 79. 

Kian the, 219. 

Kian tho lo, 64. 

Kian tho wei, 64, 351. 

Kiao sa lo, 169. 

Kia pi she, 88. 

Kia pi lo, 147. 

Kia she foe, 168, 180, 304, 305. 
Kia she, 307, 311. 

Kia she mi lo, 47. 

Kia wei lo wei, 189, 190. 

Kia ye, 280, 282. 

Kie chha, 23, 26, 29, 30. 

Kieou i, 69. 

Kie pi lo fa sou tou, 191. 

Ki jao i, 100. 

Kinnaras, 133. 

King, 109. 

King kia, 256. 

Ki ni kia, 75, 78. 

Ki pin, 22, 23, 82. 

Kia shi na kie, 222. 

Kiu i na kie,-221, 222. 

Kiu ma ti, 17. 

Kiu sa lo, 165. 

Kiu sou mo phou lo, 

Kiu sse lo, 308, 317. 

Kiu ye ni, 80. 

Kosala, 168. 

Kosambi, 230. 

Kouan shi in, 115. 

Kouei, 321, 325. 

Koukeyar, 25. 

Koung sun, 7. 

Krakuchanda, 184. 

Kshatrya, 132. 

Kshma, 114. 

Ku jo kei che, 161. 

Kukutapuda, 305, 306. 

Kusamba, 317. 

Kushina, 172. 

Kusinagara, 222. 

Kusia, 223. 

Kusumapura, 257. 

Kusanabha, 161. 

Ladak, 26. 


370 


INDEX. 


Laksana, 129. 

Lan mo, 213, 214. 

Lao tseu, 306. 

Li, 274. 

Lions, kingdom of, 332, 357. 

Li chhe, 221, 239. 

Lichhivi, 239. 

Lieou li, 168, 169, 189. 

Little snowy mountains, 95. 
Liu, 3. 

Lo, 69. 

Lob, lake of, 6. 

Loha, 96. 

Lo han, 32, 33, 86, 93. 

Lohita, 96. 

Lo i, 95, 96. 

Lokyajyestha, 126. 

Lo sha, 339. 

Loung mountains, 1,4. 

Lou kia ye, 148. 

Loung shou, 154. 

Loung mi ni, 172. 

Loung sian, 175. 

Lo yue khi, 113, 269. 

Lun ming, 208. 

Madhyadesa, 58. 

Magadha, 211. 

Mahadeva,35, 131. 

Ma ha fa na, 55. 

Maha Iswara, 152. 

Maha Kasyapa, 78, 305. 

Maha Maya, 125, 209. 

Ma ha mou kian lion, 67, 69. 
Maha padma, 217. 

Maha prajapati, 112. 

Maha satwa, 

Maha chakkravarti Rajah, 126. 
Maha vana, 55. 

Maha yana, 9, 112. 

Mahendra, 260. 

Mahindo, 260. 

Ma ho yan, 112. 

Mahorarago, 133. 

Ma i sheou lo, 152. 

Maitreya, 35. 

Ma kie tho, 211. 

Manggalyam, 67. 

Manikyala, 73. 

Manjusri, 35, 112. 

Mara, 248. 

Margasera, 217. 

Mathia, 240. 

Mathura, 102. 

Ma ye, 69. 

Medicine house, 255, 263. 


Mendicants, 58. 

Meng ho li, 54. 

Meng kie li, 54. 

Middle, kingdom of the, 99. 
Migadayo, 311. 

Mi le phou sa, 32, 35. 

Ming ti, 37, 44. 

Mithila, 

Mo (Mara), 248. 

Mohana, River, 212. 

Mo ho seng chhi, 322. 

Mo ho pi ho lo, 350, 352. 

Mo kia ti, 144. 

Mo Rie tho, 253, 256. 

Moksha deva, 112. 

Moorhur, 306. 

Mongalyana, 67. 

Mo thi an ti kia, 57. 

Mo the ou lo, 98,102. 

Mou chi lin tho, 295. 

Mou ho, 306. 

Mou lian, 101, 107, 120, 264. 
Muchalinda, 295. 

Naga, 155. 

Naga koshuna, 156. 

Na kia lo ho, 61, 355. 

Na kie, 45, 61, 74, 83, 85, 87, 355. 
Nulada, 267. 

Nalanda, 257, 267. 

Na lan tho, 257. 

Na lo, 264, 266. 

Nan tho, 201. 

Na pi kia, 183, 184. 

Narapati, 81. 

Narayana, 150. 

Neou than, 1,5. 

Nidana, 325. 

Ni houan, 78. 

Ni kia, 74, 78. 

Ni kian tse, 264. 

Ni kian tho, 144. 

Nilajan River, 212. 

Ni li, 256. 

Ni lian, 172, 211. 

Nirajanam, 

Nirmanakaya, 182. 

Nirvana, 151. 

Nyagrodha, 207. 

Observances, the twelve, 59. 

Om mani padme horn, 116. 

O pi, 271, 314. 

Ou i, 7, 15. 

Ouigours, 15. 

Ou pho so kia, 


Ou clihang, 44, 45, 52. 
Outtara kourou, 80. 
Oxus, 38. 


INDEX. 


371 


Pacheka, 158. 

Pajapati, 206. 

Padma pani, 21. 

Padma chenbo, 216. 

Pa lian fou, 253, 257. 
Palibothra, 253, 257. 

Pa lou sha, 76. 

Pamir, 15. 

Pan chala, 98. 

Pan che, 264, 265. 

Pan che yue sse, 26. 
Pandurang, 262. 

Panjab, 98. 

Pan ni houan, 78. 

Pao shi, 114. 

Paramita, 5. 

Park, deer, 308, 310. 
Patali, 260. 

Pataliputra, 259. 

Pei to, 281, 293, 333, 343. 
Pellelup, 324. 

Pe tsing, 69, 189, 195. 
Phalgo, River, 282. 

Phi she li, 240, 242, 351. 
Phan jo pho lo mi, 101. 
Piling wang, 37, 40. 

Phi she khiu, 166, 175. 

Phi siun, 274. 

Pho lo na, River, 

Pho lo nai, 307, 310. 

Pho lo yue, 318. 

Pho sse no, 165, 170. 

Pho tho, 69. 

Pho to li tsu, 257. 

Phou sa, 17, 21. 

Phulwari, 259. 

Pi chha, 97, 98. 

Pi khieou, 45, 58. 

Pi khieou ni, 101, 110. 

Pi nai ye, 107. 

Ping sha, 264. 

Pim pho lo, 276, 278. 

Pin po so lo, 217. 

Pi pho lo, 276, 278. 

Pi she, 178. 

Pisuna, 274. 

Pitaka, 

Pi tsa, 98, 

Piyadasi, 263. 

Po lou lo, 15, 57. 

Po mi lo, 15. 

Po na, 96, 97. 


Pou rou sha pou lo, 76. 

Pot of Foe, 27, 74, 351. 

Potala, 205. 

Po thi, 211, 336, 349. 

Pou na, 95, 97. 

Prajna, 132. 

Prajna paramita, 112. 

Prasenajit, 170. 

Pratyeka Buddha, 10, 95. 
Precepts, the ten, 103. 

Precepts, the sufficient, 103, 104. 
Precious, the three, 37, 42. 
Purushapura, 76. 

Pushkaravati, 73. 

Py chi Foe, 86, 123, 93, 158. 

Rajagahan, 230, 269. 

Rajagriha, 113,269. 

Rajaguna, 132, 

Rama, 169. 

Ramagamo, 215. 

Rammo, 215. 

Rath Jatra, 261. 

Rawanhadra, 38. 

Realities, 91. 

Reason, Clergy of, 306. 
Revolution, 9. 

Roots, the six, 

Ruanwelle, 22. 

Rupyavachara, 131. 

Sagara, 156. 

Saketan, 230. 

Sakya, 203. 

Sakridagami, 94. 

Samadhi, 253. 

Samana, 12. 

Sambhogakaya, 182, 

Samkassa, 123. 

San che ye, 144. 

Sand, River of, 2, 6. 

Sanga, 8. 

Sanghati, 93. 

Sankya, 147. 

San mei, 251. 

Sansara, 216. 

San tsang, 2. 

San tsang fa sou, 

Sa pho to, 322, 326. 

Saras wati, 131. 

Sariputra, 267. 

Sarira, 216. 

Sarnath, 311. 

Sattapanni cave, 2 77. 

Satyoghna, 132, 

Sawatti, 230. 


372 INDEX. 


Sects, 143, 154. 

Seng kia lan, 17. 

Seng kia lo, 

Seng kia slii, 119, 123. 

Seng kia ti, 85, 93. 
Sepultures, 353. 

Serica, 15. 

Sewad, 62. 

Sha men, 7, 12. 

Sha mi, 174. 

Sha mi ni, 174. 

Sha chi, 163. 

Shen shen, 2, 7, 8. 

Shen si, 2, 7. 

She wei, 35, 165, 169, 353. 
Shell, 168, 180, 239. 

She li fang, 41. 

She li foe, 69, 264. 

She li tseu, 106. 

Si an, 2. 

Shu, 39. 

Shy, 62, 120, 264. 

Shy kia, 69, 155. 

Shy kia wen, 155. 

Shy lo fa sy ti, 169. 

Siddha, 146. 

Siddharta, 129. 

Sind, 38. 

Sindhu, 38. 

Sinhala, 331. 

Siu po, 221, 238. 

Sin theou, 13, 36, 37. 

Si to, 38. 

Siu tha, 165, 170. 

Sieou tho lo, 107. 

Sin tho wan, 94, 189, 207. 
Si ye, 24. 

Skandha, 145. 

Smasana, 278. 

So ho to, 62, 355. 

So kie lo, 156. 

Sona, River, 225. 

Sou pho fa sa tou, 62. 
Sramana, 12. 

Slavaka, 10. 

Sravasti, 169, 172. 

Srenika, 217. 

Sroto panna, 94, 207. 

Sse tho han, 94. 

Sthupa, 19, 91. 

Subhadra, 238. 

Sudata, 169. 

Su ho to, 45, 62. 

Suastus, 62. 

Sutra, 3. 

Swarnavati, River, 224. 


Swastika, 218. 

Swat, 62. 

Ta ai tao, 189. 

Ta hia, 39. 

Takshasila, 73. 

Tamaguna, 131. 

Tamalipta, 331. 

Tamalitti, 331. 

Tamluk, 331. 

Tan, 5. 

Tan cha shi lo, 73. 

Tan na, 5. 

Tantra, 

Tao li, 119, 124, 190. 

Tao sse, 214, 218, 306. 
Tapaswi, 200. 

Tathagata, 182. 

Taxila, 73. 

Te'i she, 178. 

Temples, six principal, 172. 
Teou shou, 33, 34. 

Ters, 212. 

Tha li lo, 57. 

Tha mo, 43. 

Tha thsen, 317,319. 

Thi an chu, 13. 

Thi an thu, 13. 

Thiao tha, 168, 203, 273, 278 
Thi ho wei, 67. 

Tho lo, 50. 

Tho ly, 32, 33. 

Ths in, 16. 

Ths ing yan, 175. 

Thun houan, 2, 6. 

Ting kouang, 67, 85, 92. 

To mo li ti, 329. 

Tooth of Foe, 334, 344. 

Tou kio, 159. 

Tou wei, 168. 

Translation, 7, 9, et passim. 
Trayastrinsha, 124. 

Tsandala, 105. 

Tsang, 2, 107, 357, 362. 

Tseu ho, 22, 24. 

Tsoung ling, 23, 25, 27. 
Tushita, 34. 

Uda, 201. 

TJdyana, 45. 

Ujjana, 47. 

Upali, 206. 

Vayu, 131. 

Vajrapani, 238. 

Yaipulya, 12, 324. 


INDEX. 


373 


Vaisali, 243. 

Vaisya, 178. 

Varana, 310. 

Varanasi, 310. 

Varuna, 131. 

Vast solitude, 307, 316. 
Vedas, 153. 

Verities, 70. 

Vesali, 243. 

Vestments, 93. 

Views, 145. 

Vijaya, 340. 

Vihara, 352. 

Vinaya, 3, 109. 

Vishnu, 131. 

Vitthal, 262. 

Vulture, hill of, 273. 

Wakshu, 38. 

Webharo, 278. 

Wei shi, 147. 

Wen chu sse li, 101, 112, 254. 
Wheels, 28, 171. 

Wheel, iron, 296, 299. 

Wou yu, 55. 


Yaksha, 340. 

Yaraa, 303. 

Yamuna, River, 102. 

Yana, 9. 

Yan feou t'hi, 79, 80. 

Yan leou, 1. 

Yangs pa chau, 243. 

Yan ma lo. 

Yan lo, 296, 299. 

Yava dwipa. 

Yeou yan, 86. 

Yeou pho lo, 120. 

Ye pho ti, 357. 

Ye tha, 353. 

Yn tho lo shi lo kiu ho, 265. 
Yojana, 86, 283. 

Yue shi, 82. 

Yue chi, 82. 

Yue ti, 39, 82, 354. 

Yu hoei, 23, 25. 

Yu tan yue, 80. 

Yu thian, 8, 17, 19, 354. 

Zhobi, river, 23. 


f 





MATHURAto GAYA 












T El i Ji A- 
























































- r ^ 












































































































































































































































































































































































• 0 


,0 




* +A 


aO*' i ’ .<&' ~*p ' • *° A x 

0 V • "•-> v> V s .0^ 0 ,#o 

• jAW/k* ^ aV «• ^ c£ 

°. vv ^ v 

: J , \ i °Wm?: J*\ 

"TT.* ,0^ '••** A <V «> * -*• 

<S> O* . k "* %> o 0 “°• <$>. 

• ^ a/ ^ 





~ « V Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 

° ^ V * £ Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 


Treatment Date: Dec. 2002 


**^8ePv J? %, °-y PreservationTechnologies 

£ **•••* *(y \5 0 A WORLD leader in paper preservation 


•w 



111 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724) 779-2111 




c> *9^ > , k 

* 'V^V. \ A* ,VWV* ^ > 

*■ vP S * 



V’ • 


* aV«* 

* ♦* *<#> * 


k. 4? * 


o, 'o . * * A 

l.\ ° A* /^ShV. V 

5»- %v* : 





o* .1^. *c 


o • 


* ~0 Tl* * '*4^“~** a)* cv 

a° V v ** °^ 

.<y *« • O* ^ v • VVl/* < 

v • .Ck a. 


* V 





* ^ °Irv ° -u 

* w* 

♦ <xy <*► * 



• » - 4 ^ 


1 “ 0>^ - 
* ^ ^ * 


* 4*^ ^ 


"o V 


«**< 


* * ^ °o ^7~v>* <o° * * * * * • * jfi 

A X* ..., ^ A f ,4 0 X> <> ,.• 

V • * yw'* Vj. «V * _ _ * 'T V . ' 

.♦ .•^itot'. ^ £ .>Va>. ^ ^ .*61 







► ^ C° c^Ls < 

* T* a ,*/«> * 


O • 


. ^d* 

r ; '.pk* ^ 

^ ‘ *Tr,"** ^ r q,.'*Tr^‘ A 0° 


<«* V 


V’ •iiw'» «V a? . 

° ^i. <x^ • fUSjfes* • ^V> ^ *. 

• "^v **V ; 

^ * * V*\, - 



. ,%#. ’ * c ^yJJrfrs' • ^°° ^ . *^w/\ 



* V 




• 4 o» 

> <p 



* 6 1 > : 




v^v F %‘^ f, \/’. 

A* . 1 • O, V • ° , 


* ^ 

DOBBS BROS. r vP V * 

LIBRARY BINDING 4 ~ «, 

* A'^v ■* 
♦ aV *#U . 




»N 



ov 81 " <r ■'+ '•'&&£ X'-f. 

TAUGU S TINE AV c • •, >V ** ,0^ ,.‘A*» V 

FLA. »" .rfWVvl*. -*L C U ° 

.v^sro :£m&;- *o 


ST 


32084 



























